werewolf

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English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English werwolf, from Old English werewulf, 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

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

Noun

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werewolf (plural werewolves)

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

Derived terms

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Translations

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Further reading

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