wolf

(countable) wolf (Canis lupus; the largest wild member of the canine subfamily)

From Dutch wolf, from Middle Dutch wolf, from Old Dutch *wulf, *wolf, from Proto-West Germanic *wulf, from Proto-Germanic *wulfaz, from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos.


wolf

(Carcoforo, Formazza, Gressoney, Issime, Rimella and Campello Monti, countable) wolf (Canis lupus; the largest wild member of the canine subfamily)

From Middle High German wolf, from Old High German wolf, from Proto-West Germanic *wulf, from Proto-Germanic *wulfaz. Cognate with German Wolf, Dutch wolf, English wolf, Icelandic úlfur.


wolf

Ze gingen de wolven bekijken in de dierentuin.

They went to look at the wolves in the zoo.

Er bestaan verschillende soorten wolven.

one of many other canids of the family Canidae, especially of the genus Canis

nl-noun

wolf m (plural wolven, diminutive wolfje n, feminine wolvin)

wolven (plural)
wolfje (diminutive neuter)
wolvin (feminine)

Afrikaans: wolf

Jersey Dutch: wâlf

Negerhollands: wuluwuluk

→ Virgin Islands Creole: wuluwuluk (dated)

From Middle Dutch wolf, from Old Dutch *wulf, from Proto-West Germanic *wulf, from Proto-Germanic *wulfaz, from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos.


wolf

He would listen quietly at meetings of the Politburo, or to distinguished visitors, puffing at his Dunhill pipe, doodling aimlessly - his secretaries Poskrebyshev and Dvinsky write that his pads were sometimes covered with the phrase ‘Lenin-teacher-friend’, but the last foreigner to visit him, in February 1953, noted that he was doodling wolves.

1968, Robert Conquest, “The Purge Begins”, in The Great Terror: Stalin's Purge of the Thirties, Macmillan Company, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 74:

(countable) Canis lupus; the largest wild member of the canine subfamily.

Any of several related canines that resemble Canis lupus in appearance, especially those of the genus Canis.

A man who makes amorous advances to many women.

The soft violin solo was marred by persistent wolves.

They toiled hard to keep the wolf from the door.

the bee wolf

“[…] Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing. Oh, dear, there's so much to tell you, so many warnings to give you, but all that must be postponed for the moment.”

1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 85:

(figurative) Any very ravenous, rapacious, or destructive person or thing; especially, want; starvation.

One of the destructive, and usually hairy, larvae of several species of beetles and grain moths.

A white worm which infests granaries, the larva of Nemapogon granella, a tineid moth.

If God should send a cancer upon thy face, or a wolf into thy side

1651, Jer[emy] Taylor, The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Francis Ashe […], →OCLC:

(obsolete) An eating ulcer or sore. See lupus.

The loosening and purifying of the raw cotton from the various impurities , such as sand, grit, &c., is accomplished by beating with the hand, or by the Wolf machine, by means of a cylinder, the surface of which is covered with sharp iron teeth

1872, Johann Rudolph von Wagner, A handbook of Chemical Technology:

A willying machine, to cleanse wool or willow.

the wolf may lose his teeth but never his nature

who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl

→ Ido: volfo (also from German)

faldiller

man who makes amorous advances on many women

Inherited from Middle English wolf, from Old English wulf, ƿulf, from Proto-West Germanic *wulf, from Proto-Germanic *wulfaz, from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos. See also Saterland Frisian Wulf, West Frisian and Dutch wolf, German Wolf, Norwegian and Danish ulv; also Sanskrit वृक (vṛ́ka), Persian گرگ (gorg), Lithuanian vilkas, Russian волк (volk), Albanian ujk, Latin lupus, Greek λύκος (lýkos), Tocharian B walkwe. Doublet of lobo and lupus.


wolf

"Here's these legal ferrets has got our Puddin' in their clutches, and here's us, spellbound with anguish, watchin' them wolfin' it."

1918, Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 150:

After a wolfed burger dinner, I called the night number at Administrative Vice and inquired about known lesbian gathering places.

Vicars seated himself and began wolfing a sandwich.

2013, Neil Martin, Collected Stories of the Sea:

(transitive) To devour; to gobble; to eat (something) voraciously.

[1940s Chicago punk:] ‘I’ve seen a thing or two in my time,’ he still liked to boast, ‘that was how I found out the best place for wolfin’ ain’t the taverns. It ain’t in dance halls ’r on North Clark on Saturday night. It’s in the front row in Sunday school on Sunday mornin’. Oh yeh, I know a thing or two, I been around.’

1949, Nelson Algren, The Man with the Golden Arm:

(intransitive, slang) To make amorous advances to many women; to hit on women; to cruise for sex.

en-verb

wolf (third-person singular simple present wolfs, present participle wolfing, simple past and past participle wolfed)

wolfs (present singular third-person)
wolfing (participle present)
wolfed (participle past)
wolfed (past)
wolve (alternative)


wolf

You know, I sending you guys out jalike sheeps, an you guys goin go wea da wild wolfs stay. So you guys gotta tink, jalike da snakes, an no hurt nobody, jalike da doves.

2000, “Matthew 10”, in Joseph Grimes, transl., Da Jesus Book: Hawaii Pidgin New Testament, Wycliffe Bible Translators, →ISBN, page 29:

See, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. Be therefore as wise as serpents, and as innocent as doves.


wolf

wolv (nominative singular)
wolve (nominative plural)
wolv (accusative singular)
wolve (accusative plural)
wolvs (genitive singular)
wolve (genitive plural)
wolve (dative singular)
wolven (dative plural)

desctree

Dutch: wolf
Afrikaans: wolf
Jersey Dutch: wâlf
Negerhollands: wuluwuluk
→ Virgin Islands Creole: wuluwuluk (dated)

Limburgish: wólf

From Old Dutch *wulf, from Proto-West Germanic *wulf, from Proto-Germanic *wulfaz, from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos.


wolf

head

wolf (plural wolves, diminutive wolfy, wolfie)

wolves (plural)
wolfy (diminutive)
wolfie (diminutive)
wulf (alternative)
woulf (alternative)
wolfe (alternative)

desctree

English: wolf, wolve (rare)
→ Ido: volfo (also from German)

Scots: wolf, woulf, wouff

From Old English wulf, from Proto-West Germanic *wulf, from Proto-Germanic *wulfaz, from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos.


wolf

ein (indefinite nominative singular)
dër (definite nominative singular)
wolf (nominative noun singular)
die (definite nominative plural)
wolve (nominative noun plural)
eines (genitive indefinite singular)
dës (definite genitive singular)
wolves (genitive noun singular)
dër (definite genitive plural)
wolve (genitive noun plural)
eime (dative indefinite singular)
dëm (dative definite singular)
wolve (dative noun singular)
dën (dative definite plural)
wolven (dative noun plural)
einen (accusative indefinite singular)
dën (accusative definite singular)
wolf (accusative noun singular)
die (accusative definite plural)
wolve (accusative noun plural)

Alemannic German: wolf (Italian Walser)

Bavarian: Woif, Wolf

Cimbrian: bolf

Mòcheno: bolf

Udinese: bolf, bölf

German: Wolf

Hunsrik: Wollef

Luxembourgish: Wollef

Pennsylvania German: Wolf

Vilamovian: wūf

Yiddish: וואָלף (volf)

Inherited from Old High German wolf, from Proto-West Germanic *wulf, from Proto-Germanic *wulfaz, from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos.


wolf

wolfa (plural)
wolf (nominative singular)
wolfa (nominative plural)
wolf (accusative singular)
wolfa (accusative plural)
wolfes (genitive singular)
wolfo (genitive plural)
wolfe (dative singular)
wolfum (dative plural)
wolfu (instrumental singular)

Middle High German: wolf
Alemannic German: wolf (Italian Walser)
Bavarian: Woif, Wolf
Cimbrian: bolf
Mòcheno: bolf
Udinese: bolf, bölf
German: Wolf
Hunsrik: Wollef
Luxembourgish: Wollef
Pennsylvania German: Wolf
Vilamovian: wūf
Yiddish: וואָלף (volf)

From Proto-West Germanic *wulf, from Proto-Germanic *wulfaz.


wolf

But the orra man for a fee, wha isna the herd, and auchts‐na the sheep, whan he sees the wolf comin doon, lea’s them and flees ; and the wolf grips them, and skails them abreid.

1904, “John X”, in William Wye Smith, transl., The New Testament in Braid Scots, Paisley: Alexander Gardner, page 130:

The hired hand sees the wolf coming, abandons the sheep and runs away because they do not belong to him. The wolf attacks and scatters the flock.


wolf

head

wolf c (plural wolven, diminutive wolfke)

From Old Frisian wolf, from Proto-West Germanic *wulf, from Proto-Germanic *wulfaz, from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos.