feral
A domesticated animal that has returned to the wildA domesticated (non-human) animal that has returned to the wild; an animal, particularly a domesticated animal, living independently of humans.
» Sami was going after a feral dog.
OsoHombre · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
4 sensesA domesticated (non-human) animal that has returned to the wild; an animal, particularly a domesticated animal, living independently of humans.
(Australia, colloquial)A contemptible young person, a lout, a person who behaves wildly.
(Australia, colloquial)A person who has isolated themselves from the outside world; one living an alternative lifestyle.
(slang)A furry character in art or literature which has the appearance of a regular animal (typically quadrupedal), that may or may not be able to communicate with humans or "anthros".
The story is about a group of ferals which have to explore the ruins of society after the humans die out.
Examples
17 sentencesSami was going after a feral dog.
Tom was scratched by a feral cat.
deTom wurde von einer wilden Katze gekratzt. — Waldelfe
Farm cats are usually feral or semi-feral.
Sami fired a shot at a feral dog.
Cookie is a black feral cat with no tail.
Origin
From Latin fera (“wild beast”, noun) + -al or Latin ferus (“wild; savage; cruel”, adjectivFrom Latin fera (“wild beast”, noun) + -al or Latin ferus (“wild; savage; cruel”, adjective) + -al. Alternatively, borrowed from Middle French féral or Late Latin ferālis.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Dictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.