| 释义 |
wildness|ˈwaɪldnɪs|
Forms: see wild a.
[f. wild a. + -ness. Cf. MHG. wiltnisse, G. wildnis.]
The quality or condition of being wild, in various senses.
1. a. Undomesticated state (of an animal); the untamed disposition characteristic of such state; fierceness, savageness, ferocity; also, shyness.
c1440Promp. Parv. 528 Wyldnesse, indomitas, ferocitas. 1509Hawes Past. Pleas. xi. (Percy Soc.) 40 Mylyzyus..Dyd fyrst attame and breke the wyldenes Of the riall stedes. 1593Shakes. Lucr. 980 And let milde women to him loose their mildnesse, Wilder to him then Tygers in their wildnesse. 1596Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. (S.T.S.) I. 31 Lyke wylde hartes,..throuch a certane wyldnes of nature, flie the..syght of man. 1611[see beauty 8]. 1774Goldsm. Nat. Hist. V. 125 His necessities, and the privation of light, make him lose all idea of liberty, and bring down his natural wildness. 1859Darwin Orig. Spec. vii. 212 The greater wildness of all our large birds than of our small birds.
b. Uncultivated state (of a plant).
1599Shakes. Hen. V, v. ii. 55 Our Vineyards, Fallowes, Meades, and Hedges, Defectiue in their natures, grow to wildnesse. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. ii. 73 These [trees]..change their salvage Mind: Their Wildness lose. 1892Kath. Tynan in Speaker 3 Sept. 290/1 The roses..will deteriorate year after year, returning gradually to wildness.
2. Uncultivated state (of a place or region); the character or aspect of such a place or its scenery. Also concr. a wild place, a wilderness (now rare or obs.).
c1374Chaucer Former Age 34 Thyse tyrauntz put hem gladly nat in pres No places wyldnesse ne no busshes for to wynne. a1513Fabyan Chron. clxxxv. (1516) o iv b/2 Nat ferre from warwyke in a wyldenesse [later edd. wyldernes(se]. 1615W. Lawson Country Housew. Garden (1626) 3 The wildnesse of the earth and weeds..is killed by frosts and drought. 1625Bacon Ess., Gardens (Arb.) 562 The Heath..I wish..to be framed, as much as may be, to a Naturall wildnesse. 1709Prior Henry & Emma 420 The Wildness of the Wood. 1801Coxe Tour in Monmouthshire I. 67 The scenery..is a pleasing intermixture of wildness and cultivation. 1815Scott Guy M. xvii, All the wildness of Salvator here, and there the fairy scenes of Claude. 1832R. & J. Lander Exped. Niger I. xi. 78 The gloomy fastnesses and wildnesses of nature.
3. Uncivilized or uncultured state or character (of persons); savagery, barbarity; † rudeness, roughness of manners (obs.).
1639N. N. tr. Du Bosq's Compl. Woman i. 62 The wildnesse of the one, prevailes more then the faire perswasion of the other. 1680Otway Orphan i. iv, I'd rather..grow wrinckled and deform'd As wildness and most rude neglect could make me. 1869H. F. Tozer Highl. Turkey II. 174 The wildness of the tribes by which it was inhabited. 1871Burr Ad Fidem iv. 63 There is a native wildness in every man.
4. Unrestrained condition or quality; want of, resistance to, or freedom from restraint or control (with various shades of meaning).
a. Disposition to take one's own way; unruliness, insubordination; disorderly or riotous conduct; dissolute character, looseness of morals, licentiousness, wantonness; excessive liveliness or frolicsomeness.
c1400Rom. Rose 4894 The tyme of yougth forto pace Withoute ony deth or distresse, It is so full of wyldenesse. Ibid. 4939 Folkes forto lede Into disporte and wyldenesse. c1440Promp. Parv. 528 Wyldnesse, or wantonhede, insolencia, dissolucio. 1523Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cccxciii. fff v/2 Somtyme ryot dothe good. We haue well aduaunsed forthe our payment with a lytell wyldnesse. a1548Hall Chron., Hen. V 33 Turnyng insolencie and wildnes into grauitie and sobernes. 1601Shakes. Jul. C. ii. i. 189 He is giuen To sports, to wildenesse, and much company. 1605Lond. Prodigal iii. iii, Impute his wildnesse, syr, vnto his youth. 1692Dryden St. Euremont's Ess. 28 The Roman people had something of wildness in them; afterwards this Humour turned into Austerity, and became a rigid Vertue. 1710R. Ward Life H. More 51 Ye are running into strange Wildnesses and Excesses. 1748Richardson Clarissa (1810) III. ii. 23 To be sure Mr. Lovelace was a wild gentleman, but wildness was a distemper which would cure itself. 1801M. Edgeworth Contrast i, She hoped his wildness was only the effect of good spirits, and that he would soon settle to some business. 1827Coleridge Table-t. 23 July, Genius may co-exist with wildness, idleness, folly, even with crime. 1879D. J. Hill Life Irving 152 Moore, full of troubles from want of means and the wildness of his son.
b. Frenzy, distraction; distracted air or aspect; extreme folly or unreasonableness, irrational or fantastic character, extravagance; violence, vehemence, passionateness (of a feeling, etc.); excitedness, extreme eagerness.
c1400Destr. Troy 9197 What wildnes, or worship, waknet my hert, For to hap her in hert? 1602Shakes. Ham. iii. i. 40, I do wish That your good Beauties be the happy cause Of Hamlets wildenesse. 1621Fletcher Pilgrim v. v, Though he be rash, and suddain (which is all his wildness) Take heed ye wrong him not. 1725Watts Logic ii. iii. §3 A Delirium is but a short Wildness of the Imagination. 1785S. Fielding Ophelia II. vi, I enquired for Lord Dorchester with an eager wildness. 1808Scott Marm. vi. v, Joy unwonted, and surprise, Gave their strange wildness to his eyes. 1883D. C. Murray Hearts xix, Alarmed by his aspect and the wildness of his words. 1884Pennington Wiclif viii. 269 There is no fanaticism, no wildness in his statements.
5. In reference to style or aspect, with various implications: cf. prec. senses and wild a. 14, 14 b.
1762Warton Observ. Spenser's F.Q. (ed. 2) I. v. 197 His [sc. Chaucer's] romantic arguments, his wildness of painting, his simplicity and antiquity of expression. 1797Mrs. Radcliffe Italian xiii, The simplicity of their appearance, approached to wildness, was tempered by an hospitable spirit. 1860Tyndall Glac. i. xxv. 184 There was a wildness in the sky like that of anger. 1887M. E. Braddon Like & Unlike ix, Your wildness was your charm... You were a beautiful, ignorant creature, knowing nothing of the world. |