wolf
Pronunciation: /wʊlf/
noun ( plural wolves /wʊlvz/)
- 1a wild carnivorous mammal which is the largest member of the dog family, living and hunting in packs. It is native to both Eurasia and North America, but is much persecuted and has been widely exterminated.
- Canis lupus, family Canidae; it is the chief ancestor of the domestic dog
- used in names of similar or related mammals, e.g. maned wolf, Tasmanian wolf.
- 2used figuratively to refer to a rapacious, ferocious, or voracious person or thing: he calls the media ravening wolves
- informal a man who habitually seduces women: he’s the archetypal wolf in Armani threads
- North American informal a homosexual who habitually seduces men or adopts an active role with a partner.
Phrases
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cry wolf
- call for help when it is not needed, with the effect that one is not believed when one really does need help: he accused her of crying wolf[with allusion to the fable of the shepherd boy who deluded people with false cries of ‘Wolf!’]
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hold (or have) a wolf by the ears
- be in a precarious position: we may end up holding the wolf by the ears
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keep the wolf from the door
- have enough money to avert hunger or starvation (used hyperbolically): I work part-time to pay the mortgage and keep the wolf from the door
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throw someone to the wolves
- leave someone to be roughly treated or criticized without trying to help or defend them: power brokers are biding their time before throwing him to the wolves
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a wolf in sheep's clothing
- a person or thing that appears friendly or harmless but is really hostile: the widespread belief that any British proposal was a wolf in sheep’s clothing[with biblical allusion to Matt. 7:15]
Origin:
Old English wulf, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wolf and German Wolf, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin lupus and Greek lukos. The verb dates from the mid 19th century
Spelling rule
Change the -f to -ves to make the plurals of nouns that end in a consonant or a single vowel plus -f or -fe: