An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/wild

by Friedrich Kluge

wild, adj., ‘wild, savage, fierce,’ from the equiv. MidHG. wilde, OHG. wildi, adj., corresponding to Goth. wilþeis, AS. wilde, E. wild, Du. wild, OSax. wildi; the corresponding OIc. villr usually signifies ‘going astray, confused.’ Fr. sauvage (from Lat. silvaticus), as a derivative of Lat. silva, has led to the assumption that the Teut. cognates are derived from Wald. This view is not probable, since wild seems to be used only of living beings (lit. ‘senseless, irrational’?); comp. the Scand. signification. Moreover, the subst. Wild, n. (‘wild animals, game, deer’), which cannot be derived from the adj., has a more original form; comp. MidHG. wilt (d), OHG. and AS. wild, n. (AS. also wildor, and later wildeór), ‘wild animals,’ from Teut. wilþiz, n. (hence pre-Teut. weltos-, n., ‘wild animals,’ but wéltjo-, ‘wild, savage’). Hence the connection with Wald is improbable, though a more certain origin has not yet been found.