werewolf
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English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English werwolf, from Old English werwulf, from Proto-West Germanic *werawulf, from Proto-West Germanic *wer (“man”) + *wulf (“wolf”). Equivalent to wer + wolf or 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[edit]
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈwɛːwʊlf/, /ˈwɪəwʊlf/
Audio (Southern England) (file) - (US) IPA(key): /ˈwɛəɹwʊlf/, /ˈwɪəɹwʊlf/, /ˈwɜɹwʊlf/
Noun[edit]
werewolf (plural werewolves)
- (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: wolfman, lycanthrope, man-wolf
Hyponyms[edit]
- (female): werewolfess, werewoman, wolfwoman
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
wolflike human
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See also[edit]
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic
- English compound terms
- English terms prefixed with were-
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English nouns with irregular plurals
- en:Mythology
- en:Horror
- en:Mythological creatures
- en:Stock characters
- en:Werewolves