Origin and history of wild

Old English wilde, "in the natural state, uncultivated" (of plants, herbs), "untamed, undomesticated" (of animals), from Proto-Germanic *wildia-, a word of uncertain origin, perhaps (Watkins) from PIE root *welt- "woodlands; wild" (see wold). Boutkan gives it no IE etymology and finds the only cognate to be Welsh gwyllt "wild."

Of persons, "self-willed, lacking restraint," late Old English; also of a region, "unpeopled, without civilization." Of wind, weather, c. 1200. The specific meaning "sexually dissolute, loose" is attested from mid-13c. The meaning "distracted with excitement or emotion, crazy" is from 1590s. U.S. slang sense of "exciting, excellent" is recorded from 1955.

Baseball wild pitch is recorded from 1867. Wildest dreams attested from 1717. Wild West in a U.S. context recorded by 1826; figurative of any lawless place by 1889. Wild Turkey brand of whiskey (Austin Nichols Co.) in use from 1942. Also see wildcat, wild card, wild goose chase.

As an adverb from 1540s. To do something like wild "with passionate eagerness" is by 1670s. To run wild is by 16c. of domestic animals and cultivated plants, by late 18c. of decivilized human beings.

Ursula ... hath bin at all the Salsbury rasis, dancing like wild with Mr Clarks. [letter, 1674]

Germanic cognates include Old Saxon wildi, Old Norse villr, Old Frisian wilde, Dutch wild, Old High German wildi, German wild, Gothic wilþeis "wild," German Wild (n.) "game."

"run wild, refuse to be tamed," Middle English wilden, from Old English awildian (see wild (adj.)).

Wilding (n.) in the teen-gang rampage sense is recorded by 1989. Earlier it meant "plant that grows without cultivation" (1520s).

"uncultivated or desolate region," c.1400, from wild (adj.). Earlier it meant "wild animal" (c. 1200), a sense now obsolete. The surname (late Old English) might be originally from either. The noun is attested from late 15c. as "state of unrestrained freedom." The wilds "uncultivated regions" is by 1590s.