Ferine
//ˈfɪəɹaɪn// adj, noun
adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A member of the proposed taxon of bats, carnivorans, and insectivorans. obsolete
Adjective
- 1 Pertaining to wild, menacing animals; feral. archaic
"the season of rutting (an uncouth phrase, by which the vulgar denote that gentle dalliance, which in the well-wooded forest of Hampshire, passes between lovers of the ferine kind) […]"
- 2 Belonging to the proposed taxon of bats, carnivorans, and insectivorans. obsolete
Adjective
- 1 wild and menacing wordnet
Example
More examples"the season of rutting (an uncouth phrase, by which the vulgar denote that gentle dalliance, which in the well-wooded forest of Hampshire, passes between lovers of the ferine kind) […]"
Etymology
From Latin ferīnus, from fera (“wild animal”). The zoological sense was coined by William Whewell in 1840.
More for "ferine"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.