boar

Everyday

1. A boar, or wild boar, is a wild pig with thick, bristly hair and sharp tusks, living in forests in Europe, Asia and North Africa. tree →
2. A boar is also an adult male pig on a farm; the female is a sow. tree →
3. The male of some other animals, like the guinea pig and badger, is also called a boar. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons boars come up in woodland habitats and food webs; they dig up the ground with their snouts looking for roots, nuts, insects and worms. In history and stories, boar hunting was a royal sport, and a boar's head was served at feasts. In some parts of Europe wild boars come into towns looking for food.

Examples

• The wild boar dug in the forest floor with its snout. tree →
• A boar has sharp tusks. tree →
• The farmer has one boar and ten sows. tree →
• Wild boar piglets have stripes on their fur. tree →
• Keep away from wild boars; they can be dangerous. tree →
• In the old story, the hero hunted a giant boar. tree →
• Wild boars live in forests across Europe. tree →

Note

Plural «boars». Homophone traps: «boar» (pig), «bore» (dull, or to make a hole) and «boor» (a rude person). Baby boars are «piglets»; striped wild boar piglets are sometimes called «humbugs» in the UK.

In Jewish tradition

Here it is a wild pig that tramples a vineyard. The vineyard stands for Israel.

Interpretation. The rabbis read the boar as a cruel enemy nation, often Rome, that ruins Israel. The pig was also a forbidden, unclean animal.

Examples

• The boar out of the wood doth ravage it, that which moveth in the field feedeth on it. (Writings PSA.80.14, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Plural «boars». Homophone traps: «boar» (pig), «bore» (dull, or to make a hole) and «boor» (a rude person). Baby boars are «piglets»; striped wild boar piglets are sometimes called «humbugs» in the UK.