To run wild, to go unrestrained or untamed; to live or
untamed; to live or grow without culture or training.
To sow one's wild oats. See under Oat.
Wild allspice. (Bot.), spicewood.
Wild balsam apple (Bot.), an American climbing
cucurbitaceous plant ({Echinocystis lobata).
Wild basil (Bot.), a fragrant labiate herb ({Calamintha
Clinopodium) common in Europe and America.
Wild bean (Bot.), a name of several leguminous plants,
mostly species of Phaseolus and Apios.
Wild bee (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of
undomesticated social bees, especially the domestic bee
when it has escaped from domestication and built its nest
in a hollow tree or among rocks.
Wild bergamot. (Bot.) See under Bergamot.
Wild+boar+(Zo["o]l.),+the+European+wild+hog+({Sus+scrofa">Wild boar (Zo["o]l.), the European wild hog ({Sus scrofa),
from which the common domesticated swine is descended.
Wild brier (Bot.), any uncultivated species of brier. See
Brier.
Wild bugloss (Bot.), an annual rough-leaved plant
({Lycopsis arvensis) with small blue flowers.
Wild camomile (Bot.), one or more plants of the composite
genus Matricaria, much resembling camomile.
Wild cat. (Zo["o]l.)
(a) A European carnivore ({Felis catus) somewhat
resembling the domestic cat, but larger stronger, and
having a short tail. It is destructive to the smaller
domestic animals, such as lambs, kids, poultry, and
the like.
(b) The common American lynx, or bay lynx.
(c) (Naut.) A wheel which can be adjusted so as to revolve
either with, or on, the shaft of a capstan. --Luce.
Wild celery. (Bot.) See Tape grass, under Tape.
Wild cherry. (Bot.)
(a) Any uncultivated tree which bears cherries. The wild
red cherry is Prunus Pennsylvanica. The wild black
cherry is P. serotina, the wood of which is much
used for cabinetwork, being of a light red color and a
compact texture.
(b) The fruit of various species of Prunus.
Wild cinnamon. See the Note under Canella.
Wild comfrey (Bot.), an American plant ({Cynoglossum
Virginicum) of the Borage family. It has large bristly
leaves and small blue flowers.
Wild cumin (Bot.), an annual umbelliferous plant
({Lag[oe]cia cuminoides) native in the countries about
the Mediterranean.
Wild drake (Zo["o]l.) the mallard.
Wild+elder+(Bot.),+an+American+plant+({Aralia+hispida">Wild elder (Bot.), an American plant ({Aralia hispida) of
the Ginseng family.
Wild fowl (Zo["o]l.) any wild bird, especially any of those
considered as game birds.
Wild goose (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of
undomesticated geese, especially the Canada goose ({Branta
Canadensis), the European bean goose, and the graylag.
See Graylag, and Bean goose, under Bean.
Wild goose chase, the pursuit of something unattainable, or
of something as unlikely to be caught as the wild goose.
--Shak.
Wild honey, honey made by wild bees, and deposited in
trees, rocks, the like.
Wild hyacinth. (Bot.) See Hyacinth, 1
(b) .
Wild+Irishman+(Bot.),+a+thorny+bush+({Discaria+Toumatou">Wild Irishman (Bot.), a thorny bush ({Discaria Toumatou)
of the Buckthorn family, found in New Zealand, where the
natives use the spines in tattooing.
Wild land.
(a) Land not cultivated, or in a state that renders it
unfit for cultivation.
(b) Land which is not settled and cultivated.
Wild licorice. (Bot.) See under Licorice.
Wild mammee (Bot.), the oblong, yellowish, acid fruit of a
tropical American tree ({Rheedia lateriflora); -- so
called in the West Indies.
Wild+marjoram+(Bot.),+a+labiate+plant+({Origanum+vulgare">Wild marjoram (Bot.), a labiate plant ({Origanum vulgare)
much like the sweet marjoram, but less aromatic.
Wild oat. (Bot.)
(a) A tall, oatlike kind of soft grass ({Arrhenatherum
avenaceum).
(b) See Wild oats, under Oat.
Wild pieplant (Bot.), a species of dock ({Rumex
hymenosepalus) found from Texas to California. Its acid,
juicy stems are used as a substitute for the garden
rhubarb.
Wild pigeon. (Zo["o]l.)
(a) The rock dove.
(b) The passenger pigeon.
Wild pink (Bot.), an American plant ({Silene
Pennsylvanica) with pale, pinkish flowers; a kind of
catchfly.
Wild plantain (Bot.), an arborescent endogenous herb
({Heliconia Bihai), much resembling the banana. Its
leaves and leaf sheaths are much used in the West Indies
as coverings for packages of merchandise.
Wild plum. (Bot.)
(a) Any kind of plum growing without cultivation.
(b) The South African prune. See under Prune.
Wild rice. (Bot.) See Indian rice, under Rice.
Wild rosemary (Bot.), the evergreen shrub Andromeda
polifolia. See Marsh rosemary, under Rosemary.
Wild sage. (Bot.) See Sagebrush.
Wild sarsaparilla (Bot.), a species of ginseng ({Aralia
nudicaulis) bearing a single long-stalked leaf.
Wild sensitive plant (Bot.), either one of two annual
leguminous herbs ({Cassia Cham[ae]crista, and C.
nictitans), in both of which the leaflets close quickly
when the plant is disturbed.
Wild service.(Bot.) See Sorb.
Wild Spaniard (Bot.), any one of several umbelliferous
plants of the genus Aciphylla, natives of New Zealand.
The leaves bear numerous bayonetlike spines, and the
plants form an impenetrable thicket.
Wild turkey. (Zo["o]l.) See 2d Turkey.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
Basil \Bas"il\, n. [F. basilic, fr. L. badilicus royal, Gr. ?,
fr. ? king.] (Bot.)
The name given to several aromatic herbs of the Mint family,
but chiefly to the common or sweet basil ({Ocymum
basilicum), and the bush basil, or lesser basil ({O.
minimum), the leaves of which are used in cookery. The name
is also given to several kinds of mountain mint
({Pycnanthemum).
Basil thyme, a name given to the fragrant herbs Calamintha
Acinos and C. Nepeta.
Wild+basil,+a+plant+({Calamintha+clinopodium">Wild basil, a plant ({Calamintha clinopodium) of the Mint
family.
