wouf

Scots

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Alternative forms

• oof, ouf, woof

Etymology

Inherited from Middle Scots woulf, wolf, from Middle English wolf, from Old English wulf, from Proto-West Germanic *wulf, from Proto-Germanic *wulfaz, from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /(w)uf/

Noun

wouf (plural woufs)

1. (countable) wolf (Canis lupus; the largest wild member of the canine subfamily)
   • 1983, William Lorimer, transl., The New Testament in Scots, Edinburgh: Canongate, published 2001, →ISBN, →OCLC, John 10:12, page 179:

     The hireman, at is nae shepherd, an isna aucht the sheep himsel, forleits the sheep, whaniver he sees the wouf comin, an scours awà, laein the wouf tae herrie an skail the hirsel.

     The hired hand, who isn't a shepherd and doesn't own the sheep himself, abandons the sheep and slinks away whenever he sees the wolf coming, allowing the wolf to harass and scatter the flock.

2. (countable) anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius)