savaging

Variant of savage

savage definition

sav·age (sav′ij)

adjective

  1. wild, uncultivated, rugged, etc. a savage jungle
  2. fierce; ferocious; untamed a savage tiger
  3. without civilization; primitive; barbarous a savage tribe
  4. lacking polish; crude; rude
  5. cruel; pitiless
  6. furious; ill-tempered

Etymology: ME sauvage < OFr salvage < VL salvaticus, wild < L silvaticus, belonging to a wood, wild < silva, a wood: see sylvan

noun

  1. Archaic a member of a nonliterate culture, often having a tribal way of life
  2. a fierce, brutal person
  3. a crude, boorish person

transitive verb savaged -·aged, savaging -·ag·ing

to attack in a violent or brutal way

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.