lobo

See also: Lobo and lôbo

English

Alternative forms

• loafer (see that entry for more)

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish lobo (“wolf”). Doublet of lupus and wolf.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈləʊbəʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊbəʊ

Noun

lobo (plural lobos)

1. (Southwestern US dialects) A wolf.
   • 1983, David Earl Brown, The Wolf in the Southwest: the making of an endangered species:

     We used to pay a $20.00 bounty a head on lobos for a good many years, but stopped it because it was abused. Lobo scalps from Arizona, [...]

   • 2001, Joseph A. West, Johnny Blue and the Hanging Judge, page 43:

     "That may be so," Donnelly allowed, "but there desperate men around these parts, especially wolfers who have been collecting bounties for lobo scalps since the big snows of the Hard Winter."

Usage notes

• Often used in compound with "wolf": "lobo wolf".

Anagrams

• BOLO, bloo, bolo, bool, loob, obol

Bangi

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Bantu *-dób.

Verb

lobo

1. to fish with hook

Bokar

Noun

lobo

1. summer

References

• 欧阳觉亚 (1985), “lobo”, in 珞巴族語言简志:崩尼-博嘎尔语 [Linguistic survey of the Lhoba people:Bokar language]‎^[1], Beijing: 民族出版社, →OCLC, page 94

Central Bikol

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlobo/ [ˈl̪o.bo]
• Hyphenation: lo‧bo

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Spanish lobo.

Noun

lóbo (Basahan spelling ᜎᜓᜊᜓ)

1. wolf

Etymology 2

Noun

lóbo (Basahan spelling ᜎᜓᜊᜓ)

1. alternative form of globo

Esperanto

Etymology

From Latin lobus, from Ancient Greek λοβός (lobós).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlobo/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -obo
• Syllabification: lo‧bo

Noun

lobo (accusative singular lobon, plural loboj, accusative plural lobojn)

1. lobe

Derived terms

• nazlobo (“nostril”)
• trilobulo (“trilobite”)

Further reading

• “lobo”, in Plena Ilustrita Vortaro de Esperanto [Complete Illustrated Dictionary of Esperanto], 2020, →ISBN
• “lobo”, in Reta Vortaro [Online Dictionary] (in Esperanto), 1997-2026

Estado de México Otomi

Etymology

From Spanish lobo, from Old Spanish lobo, from Latin lupus.

Noun

lobo

1. wolf
   • 1975, Estado de México Otomi New Testament:

     Nu car ttömödi, ca jí̱ ʉ́r jmu̱ cʉ dɛjti, bbʉ ga jianti ya xpa e̱h car lobo, i jɛjti cʉ dɛjti, i ddajtjo. Car lobo ya, ba fonti cʉ dɛjti cja̱ ba tzʉh cʉ ddaa.

     But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

Galician

Alternative forms

• llobo (Galician-Asturian)

Etymology

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese lobo, from Latin lupus. Compare Portuguese and Spanish lobo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlobo/ [ˈlo.β̞ʊ]
• Rhymes: -obo
• Hyphenation: lo‧bo

Noun

lobo m (plural lobos, feminine loba, feminine plural lobas)

1. wolf

Derived terms

• Cabeza de Lobo
• Covas do Lobo
• Fonte do Lobo
• lobeira
• Lobeira
• lobishome
• Loboso
• Matalobos
• Pedra de Lobo

References

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “lobo”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “lobo”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “lobo”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Anagrams

• bolo

Interlingua

Noun

lobo (plural lobos)

1. lobe

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlɔ.bo/
• Rhymes: -ɔbo
• Hyphenation: lò‧bo

Noun

lobo m (plural lobi)

1. (anatomy, botany, architecture) lobe

Anagrams

• bolo, oblò

Latin

Noun

lobō

1. dative/ablative singular of lobus

Lingala

Etymology

Borrowed from Bangi lobo.

Verb

lobo

1. to fish

Old Galician-Portuguese

Alternative forms

• llobo

Etymology

Inherited from Latin lupus (“wolf”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlobo/
• Rhymes: -obo
• Hyphenation: lo‧bo

Noun

lobo m (plural lobos, feminine *loba, feminine plural *lobas)

1. wolf

Derived terms

• arar con os lobos

Descendants

• Fala: lobu
• Galician: lobo
• Portuguese: lobo

References

• Barreiro, Xavier Varela; Guinovart, Xavier Gómez (2006–2018), “lobo”, in Corpus Xelmírez: corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval [Corpus Xelmírez: linguistic corpus of Medieval Galicia] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Cunha, Antônio Geraldo da (2020–2026), “lobo”, in Vocabulário histórico-cronológico do português medieval [Historical and chronological vocabulary of Medieval Portuguese] (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Fundação Casa de Rui Barbosa
• Ferreiro, Manuel (2014–2026), “lobo”, in Universo Cantigas: edición crítica da poesía medieval galego-portuguesa [Universo Cantigas: critical edition of Galician-Portuguese medieval poetry] (in Galician), A Coruña: University of A Coruña, →ISSN
• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “lobo”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

Anagrams

• bolo

Old Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Latin lupus.

Noun

lobo m (plural lobos, feminine singular loba, feminine plural lobas)

1. wolf
   • c. 1260, Alfonso X, Livro de las legies:

     E con esta se asman las cosas naturalmientre quales son amigas o enemigas, magar no fuessen prouadas por assi cuemo el cordero que connosce al lobo por su enemigo, magar nunqua lo aya uisto.

     And with this things are naturally known as to whether they are friends or enemies, so that they are not tested like the lamb that meets the wolf for his enemy although he has never seen him.

Descendants

• Ladino: lovo
• Spanish: lobo (see there for further descendants)

References

• “lobo”, in Diccionario del español medieval electrónico [Electronic Dictionary of Medieval Spanish] (in Spanish, English, and German), Rostock University and Paderborn University, 2022–present
• Ralph Steele Boggs et al. (1946), “lobo”, in Tentative Dictionary of Medieval Spanish, volume II, Chapel Hill, page 309
• “lobo”, in Vocabulario de comercio medieval [Vocabulary of medieval commerce] (in Spanish), Murcia: University of Murcia, 2013–2024

Portuguese

Um lobo.

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *wl̥kʷós?

Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷosder.

Proto-Italic *lukʷos

Osco-Umbrianbor.?

Latin lupus

Old Galician-Portuguese lobo

Portuguese lobo

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese lobo, from Latin lupus (“wolf”), from an Oscan-Umbrian language, from Proto-Italic *lukʷos, metathesis of Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos. Compare Galician and Spanish lobo. Doublet of lúpus, a borrowing.

Alternative forms

• lôbo (pre-reform spelling)

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈlo.bu/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈlo.bu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈlo.bo/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈlo.bu/ [ˈlo.βu]

• Rhymes: -obu
• Homophone: Lobo
• Hyphenation: lo‧bo

Noun

lobo m (plural lobos, feminine loba, feminine plural lobas)

1. wolf (a wild canid)

Derived terms

• lobacho (diminutive)
• lobato (diminutive)
• lobinho (diminutive)
• lobisomem
• lobito (diminutive)
• lobozinho (diminutive)

• entre o cão e o lobo
• lobecão
• lobo do mar
• lobo-cerval
• lobo-cinzento
• lobo-da-alsácia
• lobo-da-tasmânia
• lobo-da-terra
• lobo-gato
• lobo-guará
• lobo-ibérico
• lobo-marinho
• lobo-tigre

Related terms

• licantropia
• licantropo
• licaone
• Lopes
• Lopo
• lupino
• lúpulo
• lúpus

Etymology 2

Learned borrowing from New Latin lobus, from Ancient Greek λοβός (lobós, “earlobe”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈlɔ.bu/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈlɔ.bu/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈlɔ.bo/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈlɔ.bu/ [ˈlɔ.βu]

• Rhymes: -ɔbu
• Hyphenation: lo‧bo

Noun

lobo m (plural lobos)

1. (anatomy) lobe (division of the brain)

Derived terms

• lobo frontal
• lobo occipital
• lobo parietal
• lobo temporal
• lobotomia
• lóbulo

Further reading

• “lobo”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “lobo”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Anagrams

• bolo

Southern Ndebele

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronoun

lobo

1. that; class 14 distal demonstrative.

Spanish

Un lobo ― A wolf

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *wl̥kʷós?

Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷosder.

Proto-Italic *lukʷos

Osco-Umbrianbor.?

Latin lupus

Old Spanish lobo

Spanish lobo

Inherited from Old Spanish lobo, from Latin lupus.

Doublet of lupus (“lupus”, a learned borrowing) and Lope (a proper name from Basque). Cognate with French loup, Italian lupo, Galician and Portuguese lobo, Romanian lup, and distantly English wolf.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlobo/ [ˈlo.β̞o]

• Audio (Lima, Peru):

  (file)

• Audio (Valencia, Spain):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -obo
• Syllabification: lo‧bo

Noun

lobo m or f by sense (plural lobos, feminine loba, feminine plural lobas)

1. wolf (wild Canis lupus)
2. (Spain, dated) drunkenness

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:borrachera

Derived terms

• ajo de lobo
• boca del lobo
• el lobo muere lobo
• espárrago de lobo
• hombre lobo
• lobanillo
• lobato
• lobo con piel de cordero
• lobo de Tasmania
• lobo de tierra
• lobo del mar
• Lobo Feroz
• lobo ibérico
• lobo marino
• menos lobos, Caperucita
• pedo de lobo
• ver las orejas al lobo

Related terms

• lobezno
• lobuno
• lupia
• lupino

Descendants

• → English: loafer, lobo, lofer, loper, lover
• → Tagalog: lobo
• → Estado de México Otomi: lobo

Further reading

• “lobo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Anagrams

• bolo

Swazi

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronoun

lobo

1. that; class 14 distal demonstrative.

Tagalog

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈlobo/ [ˈloː.bo]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -obo
• Syllabification: lo‧bo

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Spanish lobo.

Noun

lobo (Baybayin spelling ᜎᜓᜊᜓ)

1. wolf

   Coordinate term: loba

See also

• asong-gubat

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Spanish globo with apheresis, from Latin globus. Doublet of globo.

Noun

lobo (Baybayin spelling ᜎᜓᜊᜓ)

1. balloon

Derived terms

• lobohin
• lumobo

See also

• palintog

Further reading

• “lobo”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018

Anagrams

• Bool, loob, bolo, oblo

Zulu

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lóːɓo/

Pronoun

lobo

1. that; class 14 distal demonstrative.

Inflection

Stem -lóbo (locative kulobo)

full form	lóbo
locative	kulobo
copulative	yilobo
Possessive forms
	modifier	substantive
class 1	walobo	owalobo
class 2	balobo	abalobo
class 3	walobo	owalobo
class 4	yalobo	eyalobo
class 5	lalobo	elalobo
class 6	alobo	awalobo
class 7	salobo	esalobo
class 8	zalobo	ezalobo
class 9	yalobo	eyalobo
class 10	zalobo	ezalobo
class 11	lwalobo	olwalobo
class 14	balobo	obalobo
class 15	kwalobo	okwalobo
class 17	kwalobo	okwalobo

References

• C. M. Doke; B. W. Vilakazi (1972), “loɓo”, in Zulu-English Dictionary, →ISBN: “loɓo (3.9)”