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wolf
CIDE DICTIONARY
wolf, n. [OE. wolf, wulf, AS. wulf; akin to OS. wulf, D. & G. wolf, Icel. , Sw. ulf, Dan. ulv, Goth. wulfs, Lith. vilkas, Russ. volk', L. lupus, Gr. ly`kos, Skr. v; also to Gr. "e`lkein to draw, drag, tear in pieces. Lupine, a. , Lyceum.].
- Any one of several species of wild and savage carnivores belonging to the genus
Canis and closely allied to the common dog. The best-known and most destructive species are the European wolf (Canis lupus ), the American gray, or timber, wolf (Canis occidentalis ), and the prairie wolf, or coyote. Wolves often hunt in packs, and may thus attack large animals and even man. [1913 Webster] - One of the destructive, and usually hairy, larvæ of several species of beetles and grain moths; as, the bee wolf. [1913 Webster]
- Fig.: Any very ravenous, rapacious, or destructive person or thing; especially, want; starvation; as, they toiled hard to keep the wolf from the door. [1913 Webster]
- A white worm, or maggot, which infests granaries. [1913 Webster]
- An eating ulcer or sore. Cf. Lupus. [1913 Webster]"If God should send a cancer upon thy face, or a wolf into thy side." [1913 Webster]
- The harsh, howling sound of some of the chords on an organ or piano tuned by unequal temperament. [1913 Webster]
- A willying machine. Knight. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
wolf, n. & v.
--n. (pl. wolves)
1 a wild flesh-eating tawny-grey mammal related to the dog, esp. Canis lupus, preying on sheep etc. and hunting in packs.
2 sl. a man given to seducing women.
3 a rapacious or greedy person.
4 Mus. a a jarring sound from some notes in a bowed instrument. b an out-of-tune effect when playing certain chords on old organs (before the present 'equal temperament' was in use).
--v.tr. (often foll. by down) devour (food) greedily.
--n. (pl. wolves)
1 a wild flesh-eating tawny-grey mammal related to the dog, esp. Canis lupus, preying on sheep etc. and hunting in packs.
2 sl. a man given to seducing women.
3 a rapacious or greedy person.
4 Mus. a a jarring sound from some notes in a bowed instrument. b an out-of-tune effect when playing certain chords on old organs (before the present 'equal temperament' was in use).
--v.tr. (often foll. by down) devour (food) greedily.
Idiom
cry wolf raise repeated false alarms (so that a genuine one is disregarded). have (or hold) a wolf by the ears be in a precarious position. keep the wolf from the door avert hunger or starvation. lone wolf a person who prefers to act alone. throw to the wolves sacrifice without compunction. wolf-cub
1 a young wolf.
2 Brit. the former name for a Cub Scout. wolf-fish any large voracious blenny of the genus Anarrhichas. wolf in sheep's clothing a hostile person who pretends friendship. wolf-pack an attacking group of submarines or aircraft. wolf's-milk spurge. wolf-spider any ground-dwelling spider of the family Lycosidae, hunting instead of trapping its prey. wolf-whistle n. a sexually admiring whistle by a man to a woman.
--v.intr. make a wolf-whistle.
1 a young wolf.
2 Brit. the former name for a Cub Scout. wolf-fish any large voracious blenny of the genus Anarrhichas. wolf in sheep's clothing a hostile person who pretends friendship. wolf-pack an attacking group of submarines or aircraft. wolf's-milk spurge. wolf-spider any ground-dwelling spider of the family Lycosidae, hunting instead of trapping its prey. wolf-whistle n. a sexually admiring whistle by a man to a woman.
--v.intr. make a wolf-whistle.
Derivative
wolfish adj. wolfishly adv. wolflike adj. & adv.
Etymology
OE wulf f. Gmc
THESAURUS
wolf
African hunting dog, Cape hunting dog, Casanova, Don Juan, Lothario, Mafioso, Young Turk, amorist, atonalism, atonality, batten, beast, beldam, bolt, bolt down, bomber, brush wolf, brute, cacophony, chaser, clinker, coyote, cram, debauchee, demon, devil, devour, dingo, discord, discordance, discordancy, disharmony, dissonance, dissonancy, dissonant chord, dragon, engorge, fiend, fire-eater, firebrand, flatness, fool around, fox, fury, gallant, gay deceiver, gay dog, glut, gluttonize, gobble, goon, gorge, gorilla, gormandize, gulp, gulp down, gunsel, guttle, guzzle, hardnose, heartbreaker, hell-raiser, hellcat, hellhound, hellion, holy terror, hood, hoodlum, hothead, hotspur, hyena, incendiary, ingurgitate, inharmoniousness, inharmony, jackal, killer, lady-killer, lecher, libertine, live to eat, lobo, lover-boy, mad dog, madcap, masher, medicine wolf, mess around, monster, mugger, off note, philander, philanderer, play around, prairie wolf, profligate, rake, rakehell, rapist, raven, revolutionary, reynard, rip, roue, rounder, savage, seducer, sharpness, she-wolf, skirt chaser, slop, slosh, sour note, sourness, spitfire, stridor, stuff, swinger, termagant, terror, terrorist, tiger, tigress, timber wolf, tough, tough guy, tunelessness, ugly customer, unharmoniousness, unmusicality, untunefulness, violent, virago, vixen, walking phallus, wanton, wild beast, witch, wolf down, woman chaser, womanize, womanizerAlso see definition of "wolf" in Bible Study Dictionaries
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