Sylvatic
/sɪlˈvætɪk/noun
Relating to or inhabiting forests or woodland.
Did you know?Latin silvaticus meant both “of the forest” and “wild,” a semantic shift that helped give English savage and salvage their surprisingly woodland-linked ancestry.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
silva
“Forest, woodland, or wooded country”
Late Latin
Latin
silvaticus
“Of the forest; wild or uncultivated”
Medieval Latin
Latin
sylvaticus
“A variant spelling meaning forest-dwelling or wild”
17th Century
English
sylvatic
“Relating to forests or woodland”
Modern English
English
sylvatic
“Living in, occurring in, or associated with forests”