werewolf

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English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English werwolf, from Old English werwulf, from Proto-West Germanic *werawulf, from Proto-West Germanic *wer (“man”) +‎ *wulf (“wolf”). By surface analysis, were- +‎ wolf. Cognate with Dutch weerwolf, Low German Warwulf, German Werwolf, Danish varulv, Swedish varulv, and even possibly Finnish vironsusi.

Compare also French garou, in loup-garou, French dialectal gairou, varou (“werewolf”), Medieval Latin gerulphus, garulphus (“werewolf”), all from Germanic, probably Frankish *werawulf.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈwɛːwʊlf/, /ˈwɪəwʊlf/
  • Audio (Southern England)(file)
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈwɛəɹwʊlf/, /ˈwɪəɹwʊlf/, /ˈwɜɹwʊlf/

Noun

werewolf (plural werewolves)

  1. (mythology) A person who is transformed or can transform into a wolf or a wolflike human, often said to transform during a full moon.
    Synonyms: lycanthrope, man-wolf, wolfman
    Near-synonym: dogman
    Hypernym: turnskin
    Hyponyms: (female werewolf) werewolfess, werewoman, wolfwoman

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

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