extinct in the wild

[ ik-stingkt in thuh-wahyld ]

adjective

, Biology, Ecology.

1. (of a plant or animal species) having members growing or living only as a naturalized population or in captivity, but having no known members growing or living independently in a natural habitat, as categorized by the IUCN Red List: : EW

   After observing a herd of Père David deer on a reserve in China, we learned that the species is extinct in the wild.

Word History and Origins

Origin of extinct in the wild¹

First recorded in 1945–50