Savage

The word savage has its origins in Latin silva (wood, woodland, forest, grove, orchard) and silvaticus (of the woods, wild).1 Old French sauvage (wild, untamed, strange) is from these Latin sources.
 
The adjective savage (fierce, ferocious), from Old French sauvage, came to English in the mid-13th century; by the early 14th century savage mean animals or places that were wild, undomesticated, or untamed. By the early 15th century, the noun savage referred to a ‘wild person’ or to a person who lived in the wild.
 
The verb ‘to savage’ (to act wildly) is from the 1560s. To savage, meaning to tear with the teeth or to maul, is first seen in English in the 1880s.
 
The word savage, like the words heathen and pagan, originally referred to the places where people lived rather than to the people themselves. Unfortunately, such words have often been used rudely or disparagingly to describe the people; in particular, ‘other’ people who are not like ‘us’.
 
1 The adjective sylvan (of the woods) came to English in the 1570s from French sylvain and Latin silvanus (pertaining to wood or forest) and silvanae (goddesses of the woods), all from Latin silva.
 
The word silviculture refers to the art and science of managing, sustaining, and caring for the forests.
 
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
​