Gli animali selvaggi nel Kitab al-wuhush di al-Asma‘i

This article investigates how the earliest Arabic lexicographical tradition has defined the wild animals (wuḥūš, sing. waḥš) and seeks to outline the main features of their wildness and ferociousness (anything but limited to the lexical sphere). To this end, it provides an insight into one of the most important monographs on the subject, the Kitāb al-Wuḥūš by al-Aṣmaʿī (d. 213/828). The first part reviews the main monographic works dedicated specifically to this type as well as similar chapters found in multi-thematic works written between 2/8th and 4/10th century. The number and variety of sources sketches a real literary genre within the vast literature devoted to animals. The second part analyzes the various chapters of Kitāb al-Wuḥūš, each devoted to a different group of animals, examining zoonyms, lexemes, and synonyms as explained by al-Aṣmaʿī.