jungle

views updated May 14 2018

jun·gle / ˈjənggəl/ • n. 1. an area of land overgrown with dense forest and tangled vegetation, typically in the tropics: we set off into the jungle | the lakes are hidden in dense jungle. ∎  a wild tangled mass of vegetation or other things: the garden was a jungle of bluebells. ∎  a situation or place of bewildering complexity or brutal competitiveness: it's a jungle out there. ∎  (also hobo jungle) inf. a hobo camp. 2. (also jungle music) a style of dance music incorporating elements of ragga, hip-hop, and hard core and consisting almost exclusively of very fast electronic drum tracks and slower synthesized bass lines, originating in Britain in the early 1990s. Compare with drum and bass.PHRASES: the law of the jungle the principle that those who are strong and apply ruthless self-interest will be most successful.DERIVATIVES: jun·gled adj.jun·gly adj.

jungle

views updated May 18 2018

jungle A subclimax tropical rain forest, consisting of a tangled growth of lianes, bamboo scrub, palms, etc. It forms an impenetrable barrier to travel. It is characteristic of former clearings and of riversides, where light penetration is greater than in the forest interior. By contrast, true climax rain forest has little undergrowth, since light penetration is poor, and, contrary to the popular image, it is easily negotiated.

jungle

views updated Jun 11 2018

jungle A popular term for tropical rain forest, derived from the Sanskrit jangala, meaning ‘desert’, ‘forest’, or ‘an impenetrable tangle’.

Jungle

views updated May 29 2018

Jungle ★ 1952

A princess and an American adventurer lead an expedition into the Indian wilds to discover the source of recent elephant attacks. 74m/B VHS . Rod Cameron, Cesar Romero, Marie Windsor; D: William Berke; C: Clyde De Vinna.

Jungle

views updated May 29 2018

Jungle

land overgrown with tangled vegetation containing the dwelling places of wild beasts.

Examples: jungle of disconnected precedents [legal], 1879; of information, 1897; of red tape, 1850; of sea weed, 1853.

jungle

views updated May 23 2018

jungle (orig.) waste land; (hence) land overgrown with underwood. XVIII. —Hindi jaṅgal :- Skr. jaṅgala- arid region.