wolf
[ woo lf ]
/ wʊlf /
noun, plural wolves [woo lvz] /wʊlvz/.
verb (used with object)
to devour voraciously (often followed by down): He wolfed his food.
verb (used without object)
to hunt for wolves.
Idioms for wolf
Origin of wolf
before 900; Middle English; Old English
wulf; cognate with German
Wolf, Old Norse
ulfr, Gothic
wulfs, Polish
wilk, Lithuanian
vil̃kas, Sanskrit
vṛka; akin to Latin
lupus, Greek
lýkos
OTHER WORDS FROM wolf
wolf·like, adjectiveWords nearby wolf
British Dictionary definitions for keep the wolf from the door (1 of 2)
Wolf
/ (German vɔlf) /
noun
Friedrich August (ˈfriːdrɪç ˈauɡʊst). 1759–1824, German classical scholar, who suggested that the Homeric poems, esp the Iliad, are products of an oral tradition
Hugo (ˈhuːɡo). 1860–1903, Austrian composer, esp of songs, including the Italienisches Liederbuch and the Spanisches Liederbuch
(wʊlf) Howlin'. See Howlin' Wolf
British Dictionary definitions for keep the wolf from the door (2 of 2)
wolf
/ (wʊlf) /
noun plural wolves (wʊlvz)
verb
(tr often foll by down)
to gulp (down)
(intr)
to hunt wolves
Derived forms of wolf
wolfish, adjective wolflike, adjectiveWord Origin for wolf
Old English
wulf; related to Old High German
wolf, Old Norse
ulfr, Gothic
wulfs, Latin
lupus and
vulpēs fox
Idioms and Phrases with keep the wolf from the door (1 of 2)
keep the wolf from the door
Ward off starvation or financial ruin. For example, In many countries people are working simply to keep the wolf from the door, and owning a car or washing machine is just a dream, or Gail would take any job now, just to keep the wolf from the door. This term alludes to the wolf's fabled ravenousness. [Mid-1500s]
Idioms and Phrases with keep the wolf from the door (2 of 2)
wolf