[wolf] n, pl wolves often attrib [ME, fr. OE wulf; akin to OHG wolf wolf, L lupus, Gk lykos] (bef. 12c) 1 pl also wolf a: any of various large predatory canids (genus Canis) that live and hunt in packs and resemble the related dogs; esp: gray wolf--compare coyote, jackal b: the fur of a wolf
2. a (1): a fierce, rapacious, or destructive person (2): a man forward, direct, and zealous in amatory attentions to women b: dire poverty: starvation "keep the ~ from the door" c: the maggot of a warble fly 3 [G; fr. the howling sound] a (1): dissonance in some chords on organs, pianos, or other instruments with fixed tones tuned by unequal temperament (2): an instance of such dissonance b: a harshness due to faulty vibration in various tones in a bowed instrument -- wolf.like adj -- wolf in sheep's clothing : one who cloaks a hostile intention with a friendly manner
[2]wolf vt (1862): to eat greedily: devour