feral

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle French féral, from fer + -al, or borrowed from a Late Latin fērālis.

adj

1. Wild, untamed.
2. Of an animal, being wild but descended from domestic or captive animals.
3. (of a person) Contemptible, unruly, misbehaved.
4. (Internet slang) Engrossed by a certain thought or behavior.
   I went absolutely feral over Harry Potter

noun

1. A domesticated animal that has returned to the wild; an animal, particularly a domesticated animal, living independently of humans.
   Although it is not difficult to induce domestic pigeons to nest in boxes fixed to trees, London′s ferals are not yet acclimatized to arboreal holes. 1960-05-19, “Notes and Comments: No homes for the pigeons”, in New Scientist, page 1261
   Traffic, abuse, inhumane traps, and accidental poisoning are other hazards ferals must face.[…]In England one gamekeeper claimed to have killed over three hundred ferals, while another brought home pelts to his wife so that she could design rugs from cat skins as a source of secondary income. 2005, Alexandra Powe Allred, Cats' Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Mysterious Mousers, Talented Tabbies, and Feline Oddities, unnumbered page
   You trap ferals, neuter them, and give them their rabies shot. Maybe distemper. 2007, Clea Simon, Cries and Whiskers, page 26
   If you′ve ever put a saucer of milk out for a hard-luck kitty, or if you′re spending your lunch hour sharing sandwiches with the ferals near your office, this is the chapter for you. 2011, Gina Spadafori, Paul D. Pion, Cats for Dummies, unnumbered page
2. (Australia, colloquial) A contemptible young person, a lout, a person who behaves wildly.
3. (Australia, colloquial) A person who has isolated themselves from the outside world; one living an alternative lifestyle.
   The intolerance which was directed towards us during the early years has now shifted to ‘the ferals’ who embrace a new version of nonconformist behaviour that even some of us in their parent′s generation — the Aquarian settlers — don′t like. The ferals are the scapegoats for the drug problems here, and are highly visible since many of them have nowhere to live. 1995, Bill Metcalf, From Utopian Dreaming to Communal Reality: Cooperative Lifestyles in Australia, page 82
   A pod of ferals was moving towards the exit, a half-dozen soap-shy, low-tech, bush-dwelling hippies. 2002, Shane Maloney, Something Fishy, published 2003, page 208
   It′s the rootlessness of the ferals that people don′t seem to trust; their claims of connectedness to all wild places touches a nerve. Even residents of Maydena who want to see the Florentine protected dislike the ratbags′ itinerancy. 2010, Anna Krien, Into The Woods: The Battle For Tasmania's Forests, page 102
4. (furry subculture) A character in furry art or literature which has the physical characteristics (body) of a regular animal (typically quadripedal), that may or may not be able to communicate with humans or anthros (contrasts anthro)
   The story is about a group of ferals which have to explore the ruins of society after the humans die out.

Etymology 2

From Latin fērālis (“funereal”), from Proto-Italic *fēz-ālis, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰéh₁s (“god, sacred place”).

adj

1. Deadly, fatal.
2. Of or pertaining to the dead, funereal.