This week's theme
Homonyms

This week's words
quiff
gird
mew
feral
bole

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(FEER-uhl, FAYR-)

MEANING:

adjective:
1. Wild or untamed.
2. Having reverted from domestication to the wild state.
3. Ferocious.
4. Deadly.
5. Relating to the dead; gloomy.

ETYMOLOGY:

For 1-3: From Latin fera (wild animal), from ferus (wild). Ultimately from the Indo-European root ghwer- (wild beast), which also gave us fierce and theropod. Earliest documented use: 1604.
For 4-5: From Latin feralis (relating to funeral rites or the dead). Earliest documented use: 1621.

USAGE:

"The infamous beer-guzzling feral pig who died two months ago could get a plaque at a West Australian rest stop commemorating his unusual life."
Beer-Loving Feral Pig Could Get Plaque; Sky News Australia; Dec 2, 2013.

"Coffin wondered if the coyotes were congregating in the cemetery, waiting for full dark to sing their feral song."
Jon Loomis; High Season; Minotaur Books; 2007.

See more usage examples of feral in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: