Ruminations.
Where does the word "wild" come from?
"Wild" comes from Old Englishwilde, "uncultivated, uncontrolled." The OED lists 38 different meanings for the word - 31 adjectives, 4 nouns and 3 verbs. The adjective form meaning "bewildered or perplexed" becomes obsolete by 1485, while the noun form meaning "a hunted animal; game" is no longer used by 1599. Current meanings for the adjective include "not tame; impure (said of minerals); desolate; not submitting to restraint; shy (said of game); licentious; passionate; angry; extemely foolish; and fantastic in appearance." The verb can mean "to grow wild; to engage in unruly behavior; to affect with frenzy or madden." The earliest written use of the verb is from before 1250, in the manuscript known as Ancrene Riwle.