Japanese wolf

[ jap-uh-neez woolf, -nees ]

noun

, plural Jap·a·nese wolves [jap, -, uh, -neez , woolvz, -nees].

1. a wolf, Canis lupus hodophilax, one of two subspecies of gray wolf indigenous to the Japanese archipelago, but extinct since the early 20th century, resembling a Border collie in stature and believed to be the closest wild relative to the modern domestic dog. Compare Hokkaido wolf ( def ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of Japanese wolf¹

First recorded in 1875–80