ferae naturae

American  

[fee-ree nuh-toor-ee, -tyoor-ee] / ˈfi ri nəˈtʊər i, -ˈtjʊər i /

adjective

Law.

1. (of animals) wild or undomesticated (distinguished from domitae naturae).

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Etymology

Origin of ferae naturae

1655–65; < Latin: literally, of a wild nature

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ferae naturae

Orchids must be classed with ferae naturae in which a landowner has no property.

From The Woodlands Orchids by Boyle, Frederick

For animals upon which the law sets no value, as a dog or cat, and animals ferae naturae, as a bear or wolf, cannot be considered as estrays.

From Commentaries on the Laws of England Book the First by Blackstone, William, Sir

At one end of it, the northern, a patch of the turf was gone—removed by some boy or other creature ferae naturae.

From Ghost Stories of an Antiquary by James, M. R. (Montague Rhodes)

He didn’t mind any amount of chaff, and devoted himself to the pursuit of ferae naturae with a perseverance which was literally as laid down by the copy-books—its own reward.

From The Fire Trumpet A Romance of the Cape Frontier by Mitford, Bertram

Coming out of an uncertain past, based on some dark legend of heart-break or blood-shed, they bear no author's name, but are ferae naturae and have the flavor of wild game.

From A History of English Romanticism in the Eighteenth Century by Beers, Henry A. (Henry Augustin)