"wildernesse" meaning in Middle English

See wildernesse in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈwildərˌnɛs(ə)/
Etymology: Usually derived from Old English *wildēornes, *wilddēornes, either from wilddēor (“wild animal”) + -nes, thus equivalent to wilde (“wild”) + der (“animal, deer”) + -nesse (“-ness”), or wilddēoren (“savage, wild”) + -nes. Alternatively, from wilderne (“wilderness”) + -nesse. Etymology templates: {{inh|enm|ang|*wildēornes}} Old English *wildēornes, {{af|ang|wilddēor|-nes|t1=wild animal}} wilddēor (“wild animal”) + -nes, {{af|enm|wilde|der|-nesse|id2=deer|t1=wild|t2=animal, deer|t3=-ness}} wilde (“wild”) + der (“animal, deer”) + -nesse (“-ness”), {{af|ang|wilddēoren|-nes|nocat=1|t1=savage, wild}} wilddēoren (“savage, wild”) + -nes, {{af|enm|wilderne|-nesse|t1=wilderness}} wilderne (“wilderness”) + -nesse Head templates: {{head|enm|noun|g=|g2=|g3=|head=|sort=|var=}} wildernesse, {{enm-noun|wildernesses}} wildernesse (plural wildernesses) Forms: wildernesses [plural], wildernes [alternative], wildernosse [alternative], wildirnes [alternative], wildirnesse [alternative], wildrenes [alternative], wyldernyse [alternative], wyldernesse [alternative], wyldernyse [alternative], wyldrenesse [alternative], wildirenes [alternative, Late-Middle-English], wildurnes [alternative, Late-Middle-English], wyldernese [alternative, Late-Middle-English], wyldurnesse [alternative, Late-Middle-English], wyldirnes [alternative]
  1. A wilderness; an desolate or unpopulated place:
    A ruin; a devastated or depopulated place.
    Sense id: en-wildernesse-enm-noun-NZnXd3Kd Categories (other): Middle English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of Middle English entries with incorrect language header: 37 33 14 16
  2. A wilderness; an desolate or unpopulated place:
    (rare, figurative) Destruction, desolation.     Tags: figuratively, rare
    Sense id: en-wildernesse-enm-noun-7FuMHifz Categories (other): Middle English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of Middle English entries with incorrect language header: 37 33 14 16
  3. A wilderness; an desolate or unpopulated place:
    (rare, figurative) The isolation of human existence.     Tags: figuratively, rare
    Sense id: en-wildernesse-enm-noun-BfADfw18 Categories (other): Middle English entries with incorrect language header, Old English terms suffixed with -nes Disambiguation of Middle English entries with incorrect language header: 37 33 14 16 Disambiguation of Old English terms suffixed with -nes: 24 22 11 43

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "English",
      "lang_code": "en",
      "word": "wilderness"
    },
    {
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Scots",
          "lang_code": "sco",
          "word": "wilderness"
        }
      ],
      "lang": "Middle Scots",
      "lang_code": "gmw-msc",
      "word": "wildernes"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "*wildēornes",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/wildeornes"
    ],
    [
      "*wilddēornes",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/wilddeornes"
    ],
    [
      "wilddēor",
      "wilddeor#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "-nes",
      "-nes#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "wilde",
      "wilde#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "der",
      "der#Middle_English:_deer"
    ],
    [
      "-nesse",
      "-nesse#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "wilddēoren",
      "wilddeoren#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "-nes",
      "-nes#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "wilderne",
      "wilderne#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-nesse",
      "-nesse#Middle_English"
    ]
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*wildēornes"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *wildēornes",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "wilddēor",
        "3": "-nes",
        "t1": "wild animal"
      },
      "expansion": "wilddēor (“wild animal”) + -nes",
      "name": "af"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "wilde",
        "3": "der",
        "4": "-nesse",
        "id2": "deer",
        "t1": "wild",
        "t2": "animal, deer",
        "t3": "-ness"
      },
      "expansion": "wilde (“wild”) + der (“animal, deer”) + -nesse (“-ness”)",
      "name": "af"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "wilddēoren",
        "3": "-nes",
        "nocat": "1",
        "t1": "savage, wild"
      },
      "expansion": "wilddēoren (“savage, wild”) + -nes",
      "name": "af"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "wilderne",
        "3": "-nesse",
        "t1": "wilderness"
      },
      "expansion": "wilderne (“wilderness”) + -nesse",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Usually derived from Old English *wildēornes, *wilddēornes, either from wilddēor (“wild animal”) + -nes, thus equivalent to wilde (“wild”) + der (“animal, deer”) + -nesse (“-ness”), or wilddēoren (“savage, wild”) + -nes. Alternatively, from wilderne (“wilderness”) + -nesse.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "wildernesses",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wildernes",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wildernosse",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wildirnes",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wildirnesse",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wildrenes",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wyldernyse",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wyldernesse",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wyldernyse",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wyldrenesse",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wildirenes",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wildurnes",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wyldernese",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wyldurnesse",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wyldirnes",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "noun",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": "",
        "var": ""
      },
      "expansion": "wildernesse",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "wildernesses"
      },
      "expansion": "wildernesse (plural wildernesses)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "37 33 14 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A wilderness; an desolate or unpopulated place:",
        "A ruin; a devastated or depopulated place."
      ],
      "id": "en-wildernesse-enm-noun-NZnXd3Kd",
      "links": [
        [
          "wilderness",
          "wilderness"
        ],
        [
          "desolate",
          "desolate"
        ],
        [
          "unpopulated",
          "unpopulated"
        ],
        [
          "place",
          "place"
        ],
        [
          "ruin",
          "ruin"
        ],
        [
          "devastated",
          "devastated"
        ],
        [
          "depopulated",
          "depopulated"
        ],
        [
          "place",
          "place"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "37 33 14 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A wilderness; an desolate or unpopulated place:",
        "Destruction, desolation."
      ],
      "id": "en-wildernesse-enm-noun-7FuMHifz",
      "links": [
        [
          "wilderness",
          "wilderness"
        ],
        [
          "desolate",
          "desolate"
        ],
        [
          "unpopulated",
          "unpopulated"
        ],
        [
          "place",
          "place"
        ],
        [
          "Destruction",
          "destruction"
        ],
        [
          "desolation",
          "desolation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "A wilderness; an desolate or unpopulated place:",
        "(rare, figurative) Destruction, desolation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "rare"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "37 33 14 16",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "24 22 11 43",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Old English terms suffixed with -nes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A wilderness; an desolate or unpopulated place:",
        "The isolation of human existence."
      ],
      "id": "en-wildernesse-enm-noun-BfADfw18",
      "links": [
        [
          "wilderness",
          "wilderness"
        ],
        [
          "desolate",
          "desolate"
        ],
        [
          "unpopulated",
          "unpopulated"
        ],
        [
          "place",
          "place"
        ],
        [
          "isolation",
          "isolation"
        ],
        [
          "human",
          "human"
        ],
        [
          "existence",
          "existence"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "A wilderness; an desolate or unpopulated place:",
        "(rare, figurative) The isolation of human existence."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "rare"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈwildərˌnɛs(ə)/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "wildernesse"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "Middle English compound terms",
    "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
    "Middle English lemmas",
    "Middle English nouns",
    "Middle English terms derived from Old English",
    "Middle English terms inherited from Old English",
    "Middle English terms suffixed with -nesse",
    "Old English terms suffixed with -nes",
    "Pages with 2 entries",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "English",
      "lang_code": "en",
      "word": "wilderness"
    },
    {
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Scots",
          "lang_code": "sco",
          "word": "wilderness"
        }
      ],
      "lang": "Middle Scots",
      "lang_code": "gmw-msc",
      "word": "wildernes"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "*wildēornes",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/wildeornes"
    ],
    [
      "*wilddēornes",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/wilddeornes"
    ],
    [
      "wilddēor",
      "wilddeor#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "-nes",
      "-nes#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "wilde",
      "wilde#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "der",
      "der#Middle_English:_deer"
    ],
    [
      "-nesse",
      "-nesse#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "wilddēoren",
      "wilddeoren#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "-nes",
      "-nes#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "wilderne",
      "wilderne#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-nesse",
      "-nesse#Middle_English"
    ]
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*wildēornes"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *wildēornes",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "wilddēor",
        "3": "-nes",
        "t1": "wild animal"
      },
      "expansion": "wilddēor (“wild animal”) + -nes",
      "name": "af"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "wilde",
        "3": "der",
        "4": "-nesse",
        "id2": "deer",
        "t1": "wild",
        "t2": "animal, deer",
        "t3": "-ness"
      },
      "expansion": "wilde (“wild”) + der (“animal, deer”) + -nesse (“-ness”)",
      "name": "af"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "wilddēoren",
        "3": "-nes",
        "nocat": "1",
        "t1": "savage, wild"
      },
      "expansion": "wilddēoren (“savage, wild”) + -nes",
      "name": "af"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "wilderne",
        "3": "-nesse",
        "t1": "wilderness"
      },
      "expansion": "wilderne (“wilderness”) + -nesse",
      "name": "af"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Usually derived from Old English *wildēornes, *wilddēornes, either from wilddēor (“wild animal”) + -nes, thus equivalent to wilde (“wild”) + der (“animal, deer”) + -nesse (“-ness”), or wilddēoren (“savage, wild”) + -nes. Alternatively, from wilderne (“wilderness”) + -nesse.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "wildernesses",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wildernes",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wildernosse",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wildirnes",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wildirnesse",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wildrenes",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wyldernyse",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wyldernesse",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wyldernyse",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wyldrenesse",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wildirenes",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wildurnes",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wyldernese",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wyldurnesse",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wyldirnes",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "noun",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": "",
        "var": ""
      },
      "expansion": "wildernesse",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "wildernesses"
      },
      "expansion": "wildernesse (plural wildernesses)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A wilderness; an desolate or unpopulated place:",
        "A ruin; a devastated or depopulated place."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "wilderness",
          "wilderness"
        ],
        [
          "desolate",
          "desolate"
        ],
        [
          "unpopulated",
          "unpopulated"
        ],
        [
          "place",
          "place"
        ],
        [
          "ruin",
          "ruin"
        ],
        [
          "devastated",
          "devastated"
        ],
        [
          "depopulated",
          "depopulated"
        ],
        [
          "place",
          "place"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Middle English terms with rare senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A wilderness; an desolate or unpopulated place:",
        "Destruction, desolation."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "wilderness",
          "wilderness"
        ],
        [
          "desolate",
          "desolate"
        ],
        [
          "unpopulated",
          "unpopulated"
        ],
        [
          "place",
          "place"
        ],
        [
          "Destruction",
          "destruction"
        ],
        [
          "desolation",
          "desolation"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "A wilderness; an desolate or unpopulated place:",
        "(rare, figurative) Destruction, desolation."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "rare"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Middle English terms with rare senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A wilderness; an desolate or unpopulated place:",
        "The isolation of human existence."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "wilderness",
          "wilderness"
        ],
        [
          "desolate",
          "desolate"
        ],
        [
          "unpopulated",
          "unpopulated"
        ],
        [
          "place",
          "place"
        ],
        [
          "isolation",
          "isolation"
        ],
        [
          "human",
          "human"
        ],
        [
          "existence",
          "existence"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "A wilderness; an desolate or unpopulated place:",
        "(rare, figurative) The isolation of human existence."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively",
        "rare"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈwildərˌnɛs(ə)/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "wildernesse"
}

Download raw JSONL data for wildernesse meaning in Middle English (4.7kB)

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable Middle English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-28 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (1a05e46 and e3d6d4e). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.