Wolf
/wʊlf/noun
A carnivorous wild canine of the genus Canis, especially Canis lupus.
Did you know?English wolf is a direct descendant of a Proto-Indo-European word so old that its echoes survive in dozens of languages, from Latin lupus to Russian volk — a linguistic fossil of fear.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wĺ̥kʷos
“wolf”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*wulfaz
“wolf”
Old English
English
wulf
“wolf”
Middle English
English
wolf
“wolf”
Modern English
English
wolf
“a wild carnivorous canine”