jangala

arid, sparsely wooded

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A compact tropical-forest vignette with closely packed trees, overlapping broad leaves, hanging lianas, and tangled undergrowth, making the density of the vegetation immediately visible.

noun

jungle

JUNG-gul/ˈdʒʌŋɡl/

A dense tropical forest of tangled growth.

Etymology

jungleSanskritarid, sparsely wooded

The ancestor described dry, sparsely wooded ground, not lush forest. Through the broader sense of uncultivated land, the word came to name wild, tangled vegetation and then dense forest.

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jungle