ferae naturae
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of ferae naturae
1655–65; < Latin: literally, of a wild nature
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.
We have adopted the Roman law as to animals ferae naturae, but the general tendency of our law is to favor appropriation.
From The Common Law by Oliver Wendell Holmes
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 Sir William Blackstone
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 Bertram Mitford
But I am not muzzled yet: they shall find me one of the ferae naturae.
From Anna St. Ives by Thomas Holcroft
Orchids must be classed with ferae naturae in which a landowner has no property.
From The Woodlands Orchids by Frederick Boyle
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.
