wolfish en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈwʊlfiʃ/
- /ˈwʊlviʃ/
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wl̥kʷós? Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos Proto-Germanic *wulfaz Proto-West Germanic *wulf Old English wulf Middle English wolf English wolf Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Proto-Germanic *-iskaz Proto-West Germanic *-isk Old English -isċ Middle English -isch English -ish English wolfish From wolf + -ish.
Meanings
- Of, like, or pertaining to a wolf.
-
Of, like, or pertaining to a wolf. ▸ Suggestive or characteristic of a wolf.
“[…] Here, Fangs! Fangs!” he ejaculated at the top of his voice to a ragged wolfish-looking dog […]
1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, chapter I, in Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC:He had never seen dogs fight as these wolfish creatures fought, and his first experience taught him an unforgetable lesson. It is true, it was a vicarious experience, else he would not have lived to profit by it.
1903 July, Jack London, “The Law of Club and Fang”, in The Call of the Wild, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., →OCLC, page 44:a wolfish appetite
- Fierce; menacing; savage.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| wolvish | alternative | lexicographic | |
| more wolfish | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most wolfish | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
wolfishness · unwolfish · wolfishly
Synonyms
uplandish · heathenly · uncivil · heathenous · uncouth · pagan · barbarious · Gothlike · brutish · tenebrose · uncultivated · heathenish · wolfy · truculent · Gothic · barbarous · wolfy · truculent · heathen · lupine · grim · incivil · uncivilized · wolflike · uncultured · barbaric · brutal · barbaric · wolfish · savage · wolflike · lupine · barbarian · barbarous · animalistic
Translations (19)
fr louvesque (pertaining to wolves) · ru во́лчий (pertaining to wolves) · fr louvesque (having the characteristics or habits of a wolf) · fr de loup (having the characteristics or habits of a wolf) · fi petomainen (fierce, menacing, savage) · bg въ́лчи (having the characteristics or habits of a wolf) · fr féroce (fierce, menacing, savage) · uk во́вчий (pertaining to wolves) · fr menaçant (fierce, menacing, savage) · fi suden- (pertaining to wolves) · ru во́лчий (having the characteristics or habits of a wolf) · pl wilczy (having the characteristics or habits of a wolf) · fi suden- (having the characteristics or habits of a wolf) · fr lupin (pertaining to wolves) · bg въ́лчи (fierce, menacing, savage) · bg въ́лчи (pertaining to wolves) · fi susimainen (having the characteristics or habits of a wolf) · fi susi- (pertaining to wolves) · fr sauvage (fierce, menacing, savage)