werewolf

== English == === Alternative forms === warwolf (obsolete) wehrwolf (archaic) were wolf (rare) were-wolf werwolf (dated) === Etymology === From Middle English werwolf, from Old English werewulf, from Proto-West Germanic *werawulf, from Proto-West Germanic *wer (“man”) +‎ *wulf (“wolf”). Cognate with Dutch weerwolf, Low German Warwulf, German Werwolf, Danish varulv, Swedish varulv, and even possibly Finnish vironsusi. By surface analysis, were- +‎ wolf. Compare French garou in loup-garou; French dialectal gairou, varou (“werewolf”); Medieval Latin gerulphus, garulphus (“werewolf”); all from Germanic, probably Frankish *werawulf. === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /ˈwɛːwʊlf/, /ˈwɪəwʊlf/ (US) IPA(key): /ˈwɛəɹwʊlf/, /ˈwɪəɹwʊlf/, /ˈwɜɹwʊlf/ === Noun === werewolf (plural werewolves) (mythology, fantasy) 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 ==== ==== Translations ==== === Further reading === werewolf on Wikipedia.Wikipedia James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Werewolf, werwolf”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volume X, Part 2 (V–Z), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 319.