Synonyms for wolf


Grammar : Verb
Spell : woo lf
Phonetic Transcription : wÊŠlf

Top 10 synonyms for wolf Other synonyms for the word wolf

Définition of wolf

Origin :
  • Old English wulf, from Proto-Germanic *wulfaz (cf. Old Saxon wulf, Old Norse ulfr, Old Frisian, Dutch, Old High German, German wolf, Gothic wulfs), from PIE *wlqwos/*lukwos, from root *wlp-/*lup- (cf. Sanskrit vrkas, Avestan vehrka-; Albanian ulk; Old Church Slavonic vluku; Russian volcica; Lithuanian vilkas "wolf;" Old Persian Varkana- "Hyrcania," district southeast of the Caspian Sea, literally "wolf-land;" probably also Greek lykos, Latin lupus).
  • This manne can litle skyl ... to saue himself harmlesse from the perilous accidentes of this world, keping ye wulf from the doore (as they cal it). ["The Institution of a Gentleman," 1555]
  • Wolves as a symbol of lust are ancient, e.g. Roman slang lupa "whore," literally "she-wolf" (preserved in Spanish loba, Italian lupa, French louve). The equation of "wolf" and "prostitute, sexually voracious female" persisted into 12c., but by Elizabethan times wolves had become primarily symbolic of male lust. The specific use of wolf for "sexually aggressive male" first recorded 1847; wolf-whistle first attested 1952. The image of a wolf in sheep's skin is attested from c.1400. See here for a discussion of "wolf" in Indo-European history.
  • verb consume sloppily and fast
Example sentences :
  • Now the wind came like a wolf down the Murchison Pass, howling and moaning.
  • Extract from : « Way of the Lawless » by Max Brand
  • Then, just as we thought we had it, the wolf water came and gnawed the trail in two.
  • Extract from : « The Trail Book » by Mary Austin
  • And it was true I could have snatched the meat from her like a wolf, but because of my vow I would not.
  • Extract from : « The Trail Book » by Mary Austin
  • Anyway it is a comfort to know that you have provided against the wolf.
  • Extract from : « A Woman Tenderfoot » by Grace Gallatin Seton-Thompson
  • Nimrod and I had been lured to the Cuttle Fish ranch to go on a wolf hunt.
  • Extract from : « A Woman Tenderfoot » by Grace Gallatin Seton-Thompson
  • "Every wolf for forty miles round about is up at the battle-field," I said.
  • Extract from : « In the Valley » by Harold Frederic
  • The raven, wolf, and eagle are the regular epic accompaniments of battle and carnage.
  • Extract from : « Beowulf » by Unknown
  • In all Britain to-day, no wolf roams wild and the deer are all tame.
  • Extract from : « Welsh Fairy Tales » by William Elliott Griffis
  • The wolf, that runs away from a lion, will devour a lamb the next moment.
  • Extract from : « Clarissa, Volume 3 (of 9) » by Samuel Richardson
  • We were with the fish again, and caribou and wolf tracks were seen.
  • Extract from : « The Long Labrador Trail » by Dillon Wallace

Antonyms for wolf

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019