lycanthropy

English

Alternative forms

• lycanthropia

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Ancient Greek λυκανθρωπία (lukanthrōpía), from λυκάνθρωπος (lukánthrōpos).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /laɪˈkanθɹəpi/

Noun

lycanthropy (usually uncountable, plural lycanthropies)

1. (mythology) The act of shapeshifting between the form of a human being and an animal (usually a wolf), often done during a full moon, according to legend.
   • 2014, Marijn Haverbeke, “4: Data Structures: Objects and Arrays”, in Eloquent JavaScript, 2nd Ed.: A Modern Introduction to Programming, No Starch Press, →ISBN, page 60:

     On one hand, Jacques is quite glad that he doesn’t have classic lycanthropy. Turning into a squirrel tends to cause fewer problems than turning into a wolf.

2. A delusion in which one believes oneself to be a wolf or other wild animal.

Related terms

• lycanthrope

Translations

act of shapeshifting

• Catalan: licantropia f
• Finnish: lykantropia
• Galician: licantropía (gl)
• German: Lykanthropie (de) f
• Greek: λυκανθρωπία (el) f (lykanthropía)
• Hungarian: likantrópia
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Malay: likantropi
• Polish: likantropia f
• Portuguese: licantropia (pt) f
• Russian: ликантро́пия (ru) f (likantrópija)
• Spanish: licantropía (es) f
• Volapük: lükantrop

See also

• werewolf
• shapeshift

Further reading

• Wikipedia article on Lycanthropy