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rewild

[ ree-wahyld ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to introduce (animals or plants) to their original habitat or to a habitat similar to their natural one:

    proposals to rewild elephants to the American plains.

  2. to return (land) to a more natural state:

    rewilding an unpopulated island for use as an animal preserve.



verb (used without object)

  1. to introduce living organisms to a habitat.
  2. to return land to a less developed state.
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Word History and Origins

Origin of rewild1

First recorded in 1980–85; re- + wild
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Example Sentences

Thankfully, Attenborough spends the latter part of the film talking about solutions and how to rewild nature, with simple long-term goals.

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More About Rewild

What does rewild mean?

Rewild means to reintroduce a plant or animal to its original habitat or one similar to its natural habitat.

To rewild a plant or animal is to introduce a plant or animal species back to its natural habitat. Sometimes, if an animal has been in captivity for a long time or has been injured and then taken care of by humans, it will have to go through a training process in order to be rewilded—otherwise the animal won’t be able to take care of itself in the wild. 

In the case of plants, rewild usually refers to reintroducing a plant species to an area after it was removed for some reason, such as a natural disaster or human development.

To rewild also means to return land to a more natural state. That might mean planting vegetation that originally belonged in that habitat, taking care of it, and nurturing the land until it resembles the natural areas around it or that it is based on. 

Example: This sea turtle has already gone through most of the rewilding process and will be released for good in a few weeks.

Where does rewilding come from?

The first records of the term rewild come from around the 1980s. It combines the prefix re-, meaning “again,” and the term wild, meaning “not tamed or domesticated.”

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What are some other forms related to rewild?

  • rewilded (adjective, verb)
  • rewilding (noun, verb)

What are some words that share a root or word element with rewild

What are some words that often get used in discussing rewild?

How is rewild used in real life?

Rewild is usually used to describe returning plants or animals to their original habitat or returning land to its natural state.

 

 

Try using rewild!

Is rewild used correctly in the following sentence?

“Sophie rescued a hurt rabbit, nursed it back to health, and then rewilded it to the woods it came from.”

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