gatto selvatico
/ˈɡat.to selˈva.ti.ko/word by wordmasculine
The English word wildcat is translated into Italian as gatto selvatico.
The term refers to the species Felis silvestris.
Meaning: Felis silvestris (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of gatto (cat) and selvatico (wild).
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase can be changed to the feminine form gatta selvatica if the specific animal is known to be female. To refer to multiple wildcats, use the masculine plural form gatti selvatici, where both the noun and the adjective take the masculine plural endings.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈɡat.to selˈva.ti.ko/. It has 5 syllables and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- In Italian, calling a person selvatico might imply they are uncultivated or living like a hermit, rather than just being 'wild' in a playful sense.
- In Italian, the word selva is a poetic or archaic term for 'forest' that differs from the common word bosco.
- Because selvatico is derived from the Latin 'silva' meaning 'forest', the name of this animal is etymologically linked to its habitat.
Examples in context
- Ha mai visto un gatto selvatico in Algeria?Have you ever seen a wildcat in Algeria?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has ever seen a gatto selvatico in Algeria.Tatoeba #13347001 by Guybrush88, translation #8578039 by Amastan
- Il gatto selvatico è un abile cacciatore.The wildcat is a skilled hunter.
- Ho avvistato un felino selvaggio nel bosco.I spotted a wildcat in the woods.
- Il gatto selvatico vive nelle foreste.The wildcat lives in the forests.
- Abbiamo avvistato un gatto selvatico ieri sera.We spotted a wildcat yesterday evening.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Martina and Matteo are looking at animals in a nature magazine.
- MartinaGuarda, questo è un gatto selvatico.Look, this is a wildcat.
- MatteoÈ davvero simile a un gatto domestico.It really looks like a domestic cat.
- MartinaSì, ma il gatto selvatico è più grande.Yes, but the wildcat is larger.
- MatteoÈ un animale affascinante, Martina.It is a fascinating animal, Martina.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wildcat” translations and entries gatto selvatico, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (gatto, selvatico) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gatto, selvatico, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
