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to untame

to untame

8.4
To make something wild again by removing people's control
  • verb
  • /ʌnˈteɪm/
translation icon : desdomesticar
  • Efforts to untame the forest are crucial for restoring local wildlife habitats.

Examples

  • Farmers are working to untame the once-domesticated horses so that they can live freely in the wild.

  • "Amazon Untamed."

  • The new policy aims to untame the river, allowing it to flow more naturally.

Antonyms

to domesticate
  • Specialized
32 4.1

To make wild animals or plants useful to people, for example by taming them

Surface Forms

untame infinitive
untamed past
untamed past participle
untaming present participle
untames third person singular

Morphology

untame = tame (transparent) = un + tame

The verb is formed by prefixing 'un-' to the verb 'tame' to indicate reversal or negation, which is a productive and clear process.

Etymology

Untame as a verb is made of un- 'not' and tame 'train' or 'control', so picture taking down fences and letting a garden grow wild again. So, to untame something is to remove its training or control and make it wild again.