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

Try clipping them to the cuff of your shoes to mimic werewolf legs.

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Brandy Carlton, one of Torres’s first customers, buys the biggest package every year and sometimes incorporates a theme like werewolves or skeletons into the design.

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

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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.

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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.

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Related Words

• behemoth 
• freak 
• giant 
• whale