werewolf

Or wer·wolf

[wair-woolf, weer-, wur-]

noun

plural

werewolves 

1. (in folklore and superstition) a human being who has changed into a wolf, or is capable of assuming the form of a wolf, while retaining human intelligence.

werewolf

/ ˈwɛə-, ˈwɪəˌwʊlf /

noun

1. a person fabled in folklore and superstition to have been changed into a wolf by being bewitched or said to be able to assume wolf form at will

Word History and Origins

Origin of werewolf¹

before 1000; Middle English werwolf, Old English werwulf, equivalent to wer man (cognate with Gothic wair, Latin vir ) + wulf wolf; cognate with Middle Dutch weerwolf, Old High German werwolf

Word History and Origins

Origin of werewolf¹

Old English werewulf, from wer man + wulf _wolf ; related to Old High German werwolf, Middle Dutch weerwolf

Example Sentences

Renowned as a queen of literary horror — her stories brim with ghosts, werewolves, zombie infants — here she reveals a realist side, journalistic yet intimate.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

For four days after returning from Epic Universe, my most lingering memories are not a ride vehicle or an animatronic, but chatting about werewolves with an actor in a bar and touching a purring dragon.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

She was also known for the Night World novels, which also feature vampires as well as witches, werewolves and shapeshifters, who secretly live among the human race.

Read more on BBC

There’s not even one shot of the moon that I can remember, and our first werewolf sighting takes place after dawn.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Dead animals littered the side of the road; deer, raccoons, something that looked like a purple jackal, a Chupacabra or two, what looked like a werewolf, and at least one low-flying turkey vulture.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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• freak 
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