salvaje

Spanish

Etymology

First attested 1335;[1] 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: silvestre (especially of plants)
    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)
    Synonym: inculto

Noun

salvaje m or f by sense (plural salvajes)

  1. savage

Derived terms

Descendants

  • English: salvage
  • Tagalog: salbahe

References

  1. ^ Coromines, Joan; Pascual, José Antonio (1983–1991), “salvaje”, in Diccionario crítico etimológico castellano e hispánico [Critical Castilian and Hispanic etymological dictionary]‎[1] (in Spanish), Madrid: Gredos

Further reading