salvaje

Spanish

Etymology

First attested 1335; borrowed from Old Catalan and Occitan or Old Occitan salvatge, sauvatge, from Vulgar Latin salvāticus, alteration of Latin silvāticus (“wild”, literally “of the woods”), from silva (“forest, grove”). Doublet of selvático.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /salˈbaxe/ [salˈβ̞a.xe]
• Rhymes: -axe
• Syllabification: sal‧va‧je

Adjective

salvaje m or f (masculine and feminine plural salvajes)

1. (especially of animals) wild, savage (untamed, not domesticated)

   Synonym: (especially of plants) silvestre

   Antonym: doméstico

   Sólo hay una cosa que puede calmar la bestia salvaje.

   There is only one thing that can soothe the savage beast.

2. savage, feral, uncivilized (said of a person)

Noun

salvaje m or f by sense (plural salvajes)

1. savage

Derived terms

• animal salvaje
• gato salvaje
• niño salvaje
• perro salvaje africano
• salvajada
• salvajemente (adverb)
• salvajería
• salvajismo

 

Related terms

• selva

 

Descendants

• → English: salvage
• → Tagalog: salbahe

Further reading

• “salvaje”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014