English Words Starting With W

• wild goose

  nounC1
  /ˌwaɪld ˈɡuːs/a large waterfowl (genus Anser, Branta) living in natural conditions, not domesticated.
• wild honeysuckle

  nounLow-Medium
  /ˌwaɪld ˈhʌn.iˌsʌk.əl/A general common name for various honeysuckle species (genus Lonicera) that grow in untended natural habitats, rather than cultivated gardens.
• wild hunt

  nounC2 (Very Low Frequency / Specialised / Literary)
  /ˌwaɪld ˈhʌnt/A legendary, spectral procession of ghostly huntsmen, often associated with supernatural punishment or omens of doom, that rides across the sky or through the countryside, particularly during stormy nights or around specific times like the winter solstice.
• wild huntsman

  nounVery Low (primarily literary/historical/folkloric)
  /ˌwaɪld ˈhʌntsmən/A mythical leader, often spectral or supernatural, of a pack of ghostly or demonic hounds and riders believed to course across the sky or countryside, especially during storms or at night; an element of Germanic and broader European folklore.
• wild hyacinth

  nounC2
  /waɪld ˈhaɪ.ə.sɪnθ/A common name for several species of perennial bulbous plants, typically blue-flowered, that grow naturally in fields or woodlands.
• wild hydrangea

  nounLow
  /ˌwaɪld haɪˈdreɪn.dʒə/A deciduous shrub native to eastern North America, Hydrangea arborescens, with clusters of white flowers.
• wild indigo

  nounLow
  /ˌwaɪld ˈɪn.dɪ.ɡəʊ/A common name for various perennial flowering plants, primarily of the genus Baptisia, native to North America.
• wild irishman

  nounVery Low (Regional/Technical)
  /ˌwaɪld ˈaɪ.rɪʃ.mən/A nickname for a prickly, thorny plant native to New Zealand, specifically species in the genus Discaria toumatou.
• wild lettuce

  nounLow (specialist/technical)
  /waɪld ˈlɛtɪs/A plant (Lactuca virosa or related species) that grows naturally, not cultivated, with milky sap and sometimes psychoactive properties.
• wild lily of the valley

  nounRare
  /waɪld ˌlɪli əv ðə ˈvæli/A flowering plant, Maianthemum dilatatum or other similar species, not the cultivated lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis), often found in woodland habitats in North America and parts of Asia.
• wild liquorice

  nounLow/Very Rare (Specialist/Botanical)
  /ˌwaɪld ˈlɪk.ə.rɪʃ/A plant, specifically a legume (Astragalus glycyphyllos) that resembles liquorice but does not contain the same glycyrrhizin compound.
• wild madder

  nounVery low frequency; primarily botanical/historical.
  /ˌwaɪld ˈmædə/A perennial, climbing plant (Rubia peregrina) related to true madder, with yellowish flowers and black berries.
• wild man

  nounC1/C2
  /waɪld mæn/A man who lives or behaves in a savage, uncivilized, or unrestrained way, often by choice, living apart from society.
• wild mandrake

  nounVery Low
  /waɪld ˈmændreɪk/A perennial herbaceous plant (Mandragora officinarum) native to the Mediterranean region, with large dark leaves and fleshy, often forked roots.
• wild monkshood

  nounC2
  /ˌwaɪld ˈmʌŋkshʊd/A highly poisonous perennial plant (Aconitum napellus) with blue or purple hood-shaped flowers, growing in uncultivated areas.
• wild mustard

  nounB2
  /ˌwaɪld ˈmʌs.təd/A common annual weed (Sinapis arvensis), also known as charlock, with yellow flowers, which grows in fields and disturbed ground.
• wild oat

  nounLow in literal botanical sense; Medium-High in idiomatic expression 'sow one's wild oats'.
  /ˌwaɪld ˈəʊt/A type of grass (genus Avena) that grows uncultivated, often considered a weed in agricultural settings.
• wild oats

  plural-nounC1/C2
  /ˌwaɪld ˈəʊts/A period of irresponsible, often youthful, behaviour involving pleasure-seeking, recklessness, or sowing one's "seed" (a metaphor).
• wild olive

  nounC2/Rare
  /ˌwaɪld ˈɒl.ɪv/The small, bitter fruit or the tree (Olea europaea var. sylvestris) from which cultivated olives are derived, often found growing uncultivated.
• wild orange

  nounC1
  /ˌwaɪld ˈɒrɪndʒ/A small, bitter citrus fruit native to Australia and other warm regions; the tree that produces it.

Showing 2421–2440 of 3868 words.