Forest
/ˈfɔːrɪst/noun
A large area covered chiefly with trees and undergrowth.
Did you know?In medieval Latin and Old French, a forest was often a legally defined reserved territory for hunting and control, so the word’s history is tangled up with power, property, and royal law before it became purely about trees.
Etymological Timeline
Late Latin
Latin
foresta
“An enclosed or reserved land, often set aside under law, especially for hunting”
Old French
Old French
forest / foreste
“A woodland; originally a reserved tract of land”
Middle English
English
forest
“A wooded area, especially one subject to forest law”
Modern English
English
forest
“A large area covered chiefly with trees and undergrowth”