werewolf
or wer·wolf
[ wair-woo lf, weer-, wur- ]
/ ˈwɛərˌwʊlf, ˈwɪər-, ˈwɜr- /
noun, plural were·wolves [wair-woo lvz, weer-, wur-] /ˈwɛərˌwʊlvz, ˈwɪər-, ˈwɜr-/.
(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.
Origin of werewolf
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
Words nearby werewolf
wenzel,
wenzhou,
wept,
were,
weren't,
werewolf,
werewolves,
werfel,
wergeland,
wergild,
werlhof's disease
Example sentences from the Web for werewolves
British Dictionary definitions for werewolves
werewolf
/ (ˈwɪəˌwʊlf, ˈwɛə-) /
noun plural -wolves
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 Origin for werewolf
Old English
werewulf, from
wer man +
wulf
wolf; related to Old High German
werwolf, Middle Dutch
weerwolf
Cultural definitions for werewolves
werewolves
Legendary human beings who are magically transformed into wolves. Werewolves supposedly prowl at night, devouring babies and digging up corpses, and cannot be killed with ordinary weapons. They are particularly associated with the full moon.