Tame and Domesticated Are Not the Same Thing
Tame means made gentle toward humans. Domestication is a change in the whole species.
Tame describes an animal that has been made gentle and unafraid of people. It is not the same as domesticated: taming happens to an individual within its lifetime, while domestication is a genetic change across a species over many generations. A hand-reared tiger is tame but not domesticated; a feral dog is domesticated but not tame. Only a handful of large mammals have ever been domesticated, and most species cannot be, whatever effort is applied.
- Made gentle. *A tame fox.*
- Unexciting. *A tame ending.*
- To subdue. *Taming a horse.*
- Domesticated — a different thing. *Domesticated.*
- Old English — *tam*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | tame | Tame. |
| Verb | tame | Taming. |
| Agent | tamer | A tamer. |
| Noun | tameness | Tameness. |
| Latin | domare | To tame. |
- The bird became tame.Animal.
- A tame conclusion.Figurative.
- Tame is not domesticated.Distinction.
Why most species cannot be domesticated
- Diet — must be cheap to feed
- Growth rate — must mature fast enough to be worth raising
- Breeding — must reproduce readily in captivity
- Temperament — must not panic or turn aggressive easily
- Social structure — herd animals accepting a hierarchy adapt best
Old English *tam*, of Germanic origin, related to Latin *domare*, to tame.
What is the difference between tame and domesticated?
Taming happens to one animal in its lifetime; domestication is a genetic change across a species over generations.
Why can so few animals be domesticated?
They must feed cheaply, grow fast, breed in captivity, tolerate people calmly and accept a hierarchy. Few species meet all five.