noun
jungle
JUNG-gul/ˈdʒʌŋɡl/
A dense tropical forest of tangled growth.
Thick vines hang between closely packed trees in the jungle.
Etymology
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.
In context
Guyana's exceptionally biodiverse interior, which comprises thick tropical jungle and prodigious watercourses as much as vast savannahs and mountainous networks.
More examples
- Our guide clears a narrow path through the jungle.
- Dense jungle covers much of the island.
- These birds live in the jungles of Central America.
Forms
jungle · jungles
Similar words
- rainforest
- Emphasizes heavy rainfall rather than thick, tangled vegetation.
- forest
- Any large wooded area, not necessarily tropical or tangled.