— wolflike , adj.
/woolf/ , n. , pl. wolves /woolvz/ , v.
n.
1. any of several large carnivorous mammals of the genus Canis, of the dog family Canidae, esp. C. lupus, usually hunting in packs, formerly common throughout the Northern Hemisphere but now chiefly restricted to the more unpopulated parts of its range.
2. the fur of such an animal.
3. any of various wolflike animals of different families, as the thylacine.
4. ( cap. ) Astron. the constellation Lupus.
5. the larva of any of various small insects infesting granaries.
6. a cruelly rapacious person.
7. Informal. a man who makes amorous advances to many women.
8. Music.
a. the harsh discord heard in certain chords of keyboard instruments, esp. the organ, when tuned on some system of unequal temperament.
b. a chord or interval in which such a discord appears.
c. (in bowed instruments) a discordant or false vibration in a string due to a defect in structure or adjustment of the instrument.
9. cry wolf , to give a false alarm: Is she really sick or is she just crying wolf?
10. keep the wolf from the door , to avert poverty or starvation; provide sufficiently for: Their small inheritance kept the wolf from the door.
11. wolf in sheep's clothing , a person who conceals his or her evil intentions or character beneath an innocent exterior.
v.t.
12. to devour voraciously (often fol. by down ): He wolfed his food.
v.i.
13. to hunt for wolves.
[ bef. 900; ME; OE wulf; c. G Wolf, ON ulfr, Goth wulfs, Pol wilk, Lith vilkas, Skt vrka; akin to L lupus, Gk lýkos ]