Lycanthropy
/ˌlaɪ.kænˈθrɒp.i/noun
The supposed transformation of a person into a wolf, or the delusion that one has done so.
Did you know?The term comes from Greek folklore and medicine: ancient writers used it for a real-sounding mental or magical condition, blurring the line between curse, delusion, and transformation.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
λυκάνθρωπος (lukánthrōpos)
“wolf-man, werewolf”
Ancient Greek
Greek
λυκάνθρωπία (lukanthrōpía)
“wolf-man condition or state”
Late Latin
Latin
lycanthropia
“lycanthropy; the condition of being a werewolf or believing oneself to be one”
Middle English
English
lycanthropie
“werewolf condition or transformation”
Modern English
English
lycanthropy
“the supposed transformation of a person into a wolf, or the delusion that one has done so”
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