selva
Americannoun
noun
-
dense equatorial forest, esp in the Amazon basin, characterized by tall broad-leaved evergreen trees, epiphytes, lianas, etc
-
a tract of such forest
Etymology
Origin of selva
First recorded in 1840–50; from Brazilian Portuguese, Portuguese: literally “forest,” from Latin silva; see origin at silva ( def. )
Vocabulary lists containing selva
South America - Middle School
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South America - Introductory
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South America - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The organizers appeared to turn the word “selva,” or jungle, into “Selma” by replacing the letter V with the letter M. The word selva is directly linked to the armed forces and its veterans.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 9, 2023
Doshi frequently employs Dante's trope of selva oscura, the dark wood, to represent the love relationship, so there is a metaphorical parallel to these paired ideas.
From The Guardian • Jun. 1, 2012
There are those who profess to have journeyed 368 through vast stretches of South American selva without encountering a wild animal.
From Carmen Ariza by Stocking, Charles Francis
Small and gnarled and crooked the trees were, as the spine-tree souls in Dante's dolorosa selva.
From Darkness and Dawn by England, George Allan
As we penetrated farther and farther in the selva, the darkness became deeper and deeper.
From Through Five Republics on Horseback, Being an Account of Many Wanderings in South America by Ray, G. Whitfield
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
