extinct in the wild
[ ik-stingktinthuh-wahyld ]
adjectiveBiology, Ecology.
(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: After observing a herd of Père David deer on a reserve in China, we learned that the species is extinct in the wild.Abbreviation: EW
Origin of extinct in the wild
1First recorded in 1945–50
Words Nearby extinct in the wild
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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