I. ˈwu̇lf noun
( plural wolves -lvz ; see sense 1 )
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English wulf; akin to Old High German wolf, Old Norse ūlfr, Gothic wulfs, Latin lupus, Greek lykos, Sanskrit vṛka
1. plural also wolf
a. : any of various large predatory mammals of the genus Canis that resemble the related dogs, are destructive to game and livestock, and may rarely attack man especially when several animals have gathered in a pack ; especially : any of various forms of a species ( C. lupus ) which was once almost universally present in the northern hemisphere and of which the common European form ( C. l. lupus ) is yellowish or brownish gray with rather coarse fur, erect pointed ears, and a bushy tail — see coyote , dire wolf , gray wolf , japanese wolf , red wolf
b. : the fur of a wolf
c. : tasmanian wolf
d. : egyptian jackal
2.
a.
(1) : a fierce, rapacious, or destructive person
(2) : a relentless crafty person
(3) : a clever experienced trader (as in securities) — compare lamb 3c
(4) : a man forward, direct, and zealous in amatory attentions to women : masher
(5) slang : an active homosexual
b.
(1) : a corrupting or destructive agency
boys and girls now being thrown to the wolves of paternal ignorance, social neglect, and youthful impulses — P.L.Boynton
(2) : dire poverty : famine , starvation — used with door
keep the wolf from the door
the wolf is at the door
(3) : a voracious appetite
deaden the gnawing wolf within — Elizabeth C. Gaskell
c.
[translation of Medieval Latin lupus ]
archaic : an eating ulcer or cancer
d.
(1) : a grub that is the larva of various small beetles or moths and that infests granaries
(2) : the maggot of a warble fly
3.
[German; from 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
4. : a cub scout of the second rank who is at least eight years old
•
- wolf in sheep's clothing
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
: to eat greedily : devour ravenously
wolfed two large plates of the stew — D.G.Gerahty
wolfing every volume on social and economic matters he could lay his hands on — Time
sustained high-speed driving wolfs up a lot more gas than ordinary commuter travel — P.W.Kearney
intransitive verb
1. : to hunt for wolves
2. : to philander aggressively