[ juhng-guh l ]
/ ˈdʒʌŋ gəl /


Nearby words

  1. jung, carl gustav,
  2. jungfrau,
  3. junggar pendi,
  4. junggrammatiker,
  5. jungian,
  6. jungle books, the,
  7. jungle bunny,
  8. jungle cock,
  9. jungle fever,
  10. jungle fowl

Origin of jungle

1770–80; < Hindi jaṅgal < Pali, Prakrit jaṅgala rough, waterless place

Related formsjun·gled, adjectiveun·der·jun·gle, noun

Jungle, The


a novel (1906) by Upton Sinclair.

Examples from the Web for jungle

British Dictionary definitions for jungle


/ (ˈdʒʌŋɡəl) /


an equatorial forest area with luxuriant vegetation, often almost impenetrable
any dense or tangled thicket or growth
a place of intense competition or ruthless struggle for survivalthe concrete jungle
a type of fast electronic dance music, originating in the early 1990s, which combines elements of techno and ragga
US slang (esp in the Depression) a gathering place for the unemployed, etc
Derived Formsjungly, adjective

Word Origin for jungle

C18: from Hindi jangal, from Sanskrit jāngala wilderness


Word Origin and History for jungle



1776, from Hindi jangal "desert, forest, wasteland, uncultivated ground," from Sanskrit jangala-s "arid, sparsely grown with trees," of unknown origin. Specific sense of "land overgrown by vegetation in a wild, tangled mass" is first recorded 1849; meaning "place notoriously lawless and violent" is first recorded 1906, from Upton Sinclair's novel (cf. asphalt jungle, 1949, William R. Burnett's novel title, made into a film 1950 by John Huston; blackboard jungle, 1954, Evan Hunter's novel title, movie in 1955). Jungle gym was a trademark name, 1923, by Junglegym Inc., Chicago, U.S. Jungle bunny, derogatory for "black person," attested from 1966.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with jungle


see law of the jungle.
