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Wolf

Definition: Wolf

Wolf

Noun

1. Any of various predatory carnivorous canine mammals of North America and Eurasia that usually hunt in packs.

2. Austrian composer (1860-1903).

3. German classical scholar who claimed that the Iliad and Odyssey were composed by several authors (1759-1824).

4. A man who is aggressive in making amorous advances to women.

5. A cruelly rapacious person.

Verb

1. Gulp down.

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

"Wolf" is a name that signifies or is derived from: "a wolf", "a path".

Date "wolf" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Etymology: Wolf \Wolf\, noun; plural Wolves. [Old English wolf, wulf, Anglo-Saxon wulf; akin to Old Saxon wulf, Dutch & German wolf, Icelandic [=u]lfr, Swedish ulf, Danish ulv, Gothic wulfs, Lithuanian vilkas, Russ. volk', Latin lupus, Greek ly`kos, Sanskrit v[.r]ka; also to Greek "e`lkein to draw, drag, tear in pieces.. (references)

 

Specialty Definition: Wolf

DomainDefinition

Bible

Wolf Heb. zeeb, frequently referred to in Scripture as an emblem of treachery and cruelty. Jacob's prophecy, "Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf" (Gen. 49:27), represents the warlike character of that tribe (see Judg. 19-21). Isaiah represents the peace of Messiah's kingdom by the words, "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb" (Isa. 11:6). The habits of the wolf are described in Jer. 5:6; Hab. 1:8; Zeph. 3:3; Ezek. 22:27; Matt. 7:15; 10:16; Acts 20:29. Wolves are still sometimes found in Palestine, and are the dread of shepherds, as of old. Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary.

Dream Interpretation

To dream of a wolf, shows that you have a thieving person in your employ, who will also betray secrets.
To kill one, denotes that you will defeat sly enemies who seek to overshadow you with disgrace. To hear the howl of a wolf, discovers to you a secret alliance to defeat you in honest competition. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted ....

Literature

Wolf (in music). In almost all stringed instruments (as the violin, organ, piano, harp, etc.) there is one note that is not true, generally in the bass string. This false note is by musicians called a "wolf."
The squeak made in reed instruments by unskilful players is termed a "goose."
"Nature hath implanted so inveterate a hatred atweene the wolfe and the sheepe, that, being dead, yet in the operation of Nature appeareth there a sufficient trial of their discording nature; so that the enmity betweene them seemeth not to dye with their bodies; for if there be put upon a harpe strings made of the intralles of a sheepe, and amongst them one made of the intralles of a wolfe the musician cannot reconcile them to a unity and concord of sounds, so discording is that string of the wolfe."- Ferne: Blazon of Gentrie (1586).
Here Mr. Ferne attributes the musical "wolf" to a wolf-gut string; but the real cause is a faulty interval. Thus, the interval between the fourth and fifth of the major scale contains nine commas, but that between the fifth and the sixth only eight. Tuners generally distribute the defects, but some musicians prefer to throw the whole onus on the "wolf" keys.
Wolf (Anglo-Saxon, wulf.)
Fenris. The wolf that scatters venom through air and water, and will swallow Odin when time shall be no more.
Sköll. The wolf that follows the sun and moon, and will swallow them ultimately. (Scandinavian mythology.
The Wolf. So Dryden calls the Presbytery in his Hind and Panther.
"Unkennelled range in thy Polonian plains,
A $$$ foe the insatiate Wolf remains."
She-wolf of France. Isabella le Bel, wife of Edward II. According to a tradition, she murdered the king by burning his bowels with a hot iron, or by tearing them from his body with her own hands.
"She-wolf of France, with unrelenting fangs,
That tearst the bowels of thy mangled mate.'
Gray: The Bard.
Between dog and wolf. In Latin, "Inter canem et lupum "; in French, "Entre chien et loup. " That is, neither daylight nor dark, the blind man's holiday Generally applied to the evening dusk.
Dark as a wolf's mouth. Pitch dark.
He has seen a wolf. Said of a person who has lost his voice. Our forefathers used to say that if a man saw a wolf before the wolf saw him he became dumb, at least for a time.
"Vox quoque Moerin
Jam fugit ipsa; lupi Moerin videre priores."
Virgil: Bucolica, eclogue ix.
" `Our young companion has seen a wolf,' said Lady Hameline, `and has lost his tongue in consequence.' "- Scott: Quentin Durward, ch. xviii.
To see a wolf is also a good sign, inasmuch as thy wolf was dedicated to Odin, the giver of victory.
He put his head into the wolf's mouth. He exposed himself to needles danger. The allusion is to the fable of the crane that put its head into a wolf's mouth in order to extract a bone. The fable is usually related of a fox instead of a wolf. (French.
Holding a wolf by the ears. So Augustus said of his situation in Rome, meaning it was equally dangerous to keep hold or to let go. Similarly, the British hold of Ireland is like that of Augustus. The French use the same locution: Tenir le loup par les oreilles.
To cry "Wolf!" To give a false alarm. The allusion is to the well-known fable of the shepherd lad who used to cry "Wolf!" merely to make fun of the neighbours, but when at last the wolf came no one would believe him.
In Chinese history it is said that Yëu-wâng, of the third Imperial dynasty, was attached to a courtesan named Pao-tse, whom he tried by various expedients to make laugh. At length he hit upon the following: He caused the tocsins to be rung as if an enemy were at the gates, and Pao-tse laughed immoderately to see the people pouring into the city in alarm. The emperor, seeing the success of his trick, repeated it over and over again; but at last an enemy really did come, and when the alarm was given no one paid attention to it, and the emperor was slain. (B.C. 770.) (See Amyclaean Silence.)
To keep the wolf from the door. To keep out hunger. We say of a ravenous person "He has a wolf in his stomach," an expression common to the French and Germans. Thus manger comme un loup is to eat voraciously, and wolfsmagen is the German for a keen appetite.
Wolf Duke of Gascony. One of Charlemagne's knights, and the most treacherous of all, except Ganelon. He sold his guest and his family. He wore browned steel armour, damasked with silver; but his favourite weapon was the gallows. He was never in a rage, but cruel in cold blood.
"It was Wolf, Duke of Gascony, who was the originator of the plan of tying wetted ropes round the temples of his prisoners, to make their eye-balls start from their sockets. It was he who had them sewed up in freshly-stripped bulls' hides and exposed to the sun till the hides in shrinking broke their bones."- Croquemitaine, iii. Source: Brewer's Dictionary.

Mining

A. The name of a naphtha-burning flame safety lamp. (references)

Slang

Noun. Source: Any of various large predatory animals that live or hunt in packs. Definition: A thief. Context: Used when describing a thief or group of thieves you know well, liked or disliked by association. Social Source: Illegitimate Businessmen of Harlem NY. Source: Compiled by The University of Oregon. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Specialty Definition: Friedrich August Wolf

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Friedrich August Wolf (February 15, 1750 - 1824) was a German philologist and critic.

He was born at Hainrode, a village not far from Nordhausen, in the province of Hanover. His father was the village schoolmaster and organist. In time the family moved to Nordhausen, and there young Wolf went to the grammar school, where he soon acquired all the Latin and Greek that the masters could teach him, besides learning French, Italian, Spanish and music. His attainments were only equalled by the confidence in his own powers which characterized his subsequent life.

After two years of independent study, at the age of eighteen, Wolf went (1777) to the University of Göttingen. His first act there was a prophecy. He chose a "faculty" which did not yet exist, that of "philology". This omen was accepted, and he was enrolled as he desired. Christian Gottlob Heine was then the leading light at Göttingen, and Wolf and he were not on good terms. Heine excluded him from his lectures, and brusquely condemned Wolf's views on Homer. Wolf, however, pursued his studies in the university library, from which he borrowed with his usual avidity. During 1779-1783 Wolf taught, first at Ilfeld, then at Osterode. His success as a teacher was striking, and he found time to publish an edition of the Symposium of Plato, which excited notice, and led to his promotion (1783) to a chair in the Prussian University of Halle.

This was a critical time. The literary impulse of the Renaissance was almost spent; scholarship had become dry and trivial. A new school, that of John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, tried to make teaching more modern and more human, but at the sacrifice of mental discipline and scientific aim. Wolf threw himself into the contest on the side of antiquity. In Halle (1783-1807), by the force of his will and the enlightened aid of the ministers of Frederick the Great, he was able to carry out his long-cherished ideas and found the science of philology. Wolf defined philology broadly as "knowledge of human nature as exhibited in antiquity." The matter of such a science, he held, must be sought in the history and education of some highly cultivated nation, to be studied in written remains, works of art, and whatever else bears the stamp of national thought or skill. It has therefore to do with both history and language, but primarily as a science of interpretation, in which historical and linguistic facts take their place in an organic whole. Such was the ideal which Wolf had in his mind when he established the philological seminarium at Halle.

Wolf's writings are few, and were always subordinate to his teaching. During his time at Halle he published his commentary on the Leptines of Demosthenes (1789)--which suggested to his pupil, Aug. Boeckh, the Public Economy of Athens--and a little later the celebrated Prolegomena to Homer (1795). This is the work with which his name is chiefly associated, and was written in haste to meet an immediate need. It has all the merits of a great piece of oral teaching--command of method, suggestiveness, breadth of view. The publication led to an unpleasant argument with Heine, who absurdly accused him of reproducing what he had heard from him at Göttingen.

The Halle professorship ended tragically. Wolf and his university were forced out by the deluge of the French invasion. A painful gloom oppressed his remaining years (1807-1824), which he spent at Berlin. He became so intolerant as to alienate some of his warmest friends. He gained a place in the department of education, through the exertions of Wilhelm von Humboldt. When this became unendurable, he once more took a professorship, but he no longer taught with his old success, and he wrote very little. His most complete work, the Darstellung der Alterthumswissenschaft, though published at Berlin (1807), belongs essentially to the Halle time. At length his health gave way. He was advised to try the south of France. He got as far as Marseilles, where he died and was buried.

Mark Pattison wrote an admirable sketch of Wolf's life and work in the North British Review of June 1865, reproduced in his Essays (1889); see also J.E. Sandys, Hist. of Class. Schol. iii. (1908), pp. 51-60. Wolf's Kleine Schriften were edited by G Bernhardy (Halle, 1869). Works not included are the Prolegomena, the Letters to Heyne (Berlin, 1797), the commentary on the Leptines (Halle, 1789) and a translation of the Clouds of Aristophanes (Berlin, 1811). To these must be added the Vorlesungen on Iliad i.-iv., taken from the notes of a pupil and edited by Usteri (Bern, 1830).

Reference

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John B. Wolf

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

John Baptist Wolf (1907 - ????) was an author whose speciality was French history. He was a 1959 fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Wolf is now deceased.

Writings by Wolf

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Wolf

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

Gray Wolf

Larger image
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Carnivora
Family:Canidae
Genus:Canis
Species:lupus
Binomial name
Canis lupus

The Wolf or Gray Wolf, (Canis lupus) is a mammal of the Canidae family and a close relative of the domestic dog.

Wolves were once widespread throughout the northern hemisphere, but their range has been drastically reduced by human encroachment on their habitat and persecution of the animals themselves.

Wolves are social predators and hunt in packs organised according to a strict social hierarchy and led by an alpha male and alpha female.

Normally, the alpha pair are the only members of the pack to breed. This kind of organisation can also be found in other pack-hunting canids, such as the Indian dhole (Cuon alpinus) and the African Hunting Dog (Lycaon pictus).

The relation between the wolf and the domestic dog is a matter of debate. Some authorities see the wolf as the dog's direct ancestor, while others point to the Golden Jackal (Canis aureus) as the most likely ancestor. In fact, the Canidae is a family that has evolved fairly recently, and different species of the genus Canis are still able to interbreed to some extent.

Wolves in folklore and mythology

People and wolves have a history of troubled relationships - as is demonstrated every time a wildlife service or organization attempts to preserve vanishing wolves or reintroduce wolves to previous habitat. The dominant image of wolves in human folklore is as a predator; there are, however, interesting exceptions.

Little Red Riding Hood and bad wolves
Romulus and Remus and good wolves
Children Raised by Wolves (see Feral children)

Also in the late 20th century, there was an increased awareness of the beneficial nature of wolves, encouraged by books like Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat and nature documentaries as well as the species being classified as endangered.

It has progressed to point where while the stereotype of wolves still has influence, a significant portion of the public has gained a positive opinion of wolves as interesting, valuable and even noble animals. This opinion is demonstrated with parks with a visible wolf population are often popular tourist attractions such as in Yellowstone National Park where the wolves can often be seen from the roads.

In other parks, wolf howls are often held where tourists try to make wolf-like howls in hopes that the resident wolves will answer. In fact, some naturist have complained that this popularity has drawbacks since tourists sometimes intrude into wolf habitats and disturb them.

In films and television shows, while the image of wolves as dangerous predators is still common, there are numerous productions that portray wolves as heroic characters. Rudyard Kipling and Jack London used sympathetic wolf characters. Many fantasy novels depict friendships between humans and wolves, and the comic book Elfquest centres around the Wolfrider elf tribe and its wolfpack.

See also:

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Wolf interval

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

In music, a wolf interval is an interval between two notes of a scale which is so far from its ideal ratio that it can not be used. The name comes from the unpleasant sound of such an interval, which seems to "howl".

If the notes are tuned so that some intervals are equal to or very close to their ideal ratios, at least one interval will be far from its ideal ratio and so be a wolf interval.

In modern Western music the notes of the scale notes are tuned as that all tones are equal and all semitones are half a tone. This makes all intervals slightly out of tune, but usable. There are no wolf intervals.

In Pythagorean tuning, the interval G#-Eb is such an interval, known as the wolf fifth. It is only 678.49 centss wide, nearly an eighth of a tone (a quarter of one semitone) flatter than the other fifths of 701.96 cents wide.

Wolf_fifth.ogg (33.1KB) is a sound file demonstrating this out of tune fifth. The first two fifths are perfectly tuned in the ratio 3:2, the third is the G#-Eb wolf fifth. It may be useful to compare this to Et_fifths.ogg (38.2KB), which is the same three fifths tuned in equal temperament, each of them tolerably well in tune.

If the notes G# and Eb need to be sounded together, the position of the wolf fifth can be changed. However, there will always be one wolf fifth in Pythagorean tuning, making it impossible to play in all keys in tune.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Wolf interval."

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Abbreviations & Acronyms: Wolf

The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted.
EntrySourceExpressionField

WOLF

EnglishW3 Opportunities in the Less Favoured RegionsComputing, Business

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Synonyms: Wolf

Synonyms: beast (n), brute (n), masher (n), savage (n), skirt chaser (n), wildcat (n), woman chaser (n), wolf down (v). (additional references)

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Synonyms within Context: Wolf

ContextSynonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).

Alarm

Verb: give the alarm, raise the alarm, sound the alarm, turn in the alarm, beat the alarm, give an alarm, raise an alarm, sound an alarm, turn in an alarm, beat an alarm; Noun: alarm; warn; ring the tocsin; battre la generale; cry wolf.

False alarm, cry of wolf; bug-bear, bugaboo.

Deceiver

Noun: deceiver; (deceive; ); dissembler, hypocrite; sophist, Pharisee, Jesuit, Mawworm, Pecksniff, Joseph Surface, Tartufe, Janus; serpent, snake in the grass, Judas, wolf in sheep's clothing; jilt; shuffler, stool pigeon.

Deception

Cornish hug; wolf in sheep's clothing; (deceiver); disguise, disguisement; false colors, masquerade, mummery, borrowed plumes; pattes de velours.

Difficulty

Get into a scrape; Noun: bring a hornet's nest about one's ears; be put to one's shifts; flounder, boggle, struggle; not know which way to turn; (uncertain); perdre son Latin; stick at, stick in the mud, stick fast; come to a stand, come to a standstill, come to a deadlock; hold the wolf by the ears, hold the tiger by the tail.

Fear

Inspire fear, excite fear, inspire awe, excite awe; raise aprehensions; be in a daze, bulldoze; faze, feeze; give an alarm, raise an alarm, sound an alarm; alarm, startle, scare, cry " wolf," disquiet, dismay; fright, frighten, terrify; astound; fright from one's propriety; fright out of one's senses, fright out of one's wits, fright out of one's seven senses; awe; strike all of a heap, strike an awe into, strike terror; harrow up the soul, appall, unman, petrify, horrify; pile on the agony.

Greed

Greedy as a hog; overeager; voracious; ravenous, ravenous as a wolf; openmouthed, extortionate, exacting, sordid, alieni appetens; insatiable, insatiate; unquenchable, quenchless; omnivorous.

Knave

Traitor, betrayer, archtraitor, conspirator, Judas, Catiline; reptile, serpent, snake in the grass, wolf in sheep's clothing, sneak, Jerry Sneak, squealer, tell-tale, mischief-maker; trimmer, fence-sitter, renegade; (tergiversation); truant, recreant; sycophant; (servility).

Life

Give birth to. (produce); bring to life, put into life, vitalize; vivify, vivificate; reanimate. (restore); keep alive, keep body and soul together, keep the wolf from the door; support life.

Pitfall

Sword of Damocles; wolf at the door, snake in the grass, death in the pot; latency.

Poverty

Noun: poverty, indigence, penury, pauperism, want; need, neediness; lack, necessity, privation, distress, difficulties, wolf at the door.

In want; Noun: needy, necessitous, distressed, pinched, straitened; put to one's shifts, put to one's last shifts; unable to keep the wolf from the door, unable to make both ends meet; embarrassed, under hatches; involved; (in debt); insolvent; (not paying).

Wrong

Robbing Peter to pay Paul; Verb: the wolf and the lamb; vice.

Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

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Crosswords: Wolf

English words defined with "wolf": Arctic wolfBlack wolf, brush wolfCanis aureus, Canis familiaris, Canis latrans, Canis lupus, Canis lupus tundrarum, Canis niger, Canis rufus, Citigradae, coyote, cub, CursoresDemiwolf, dog, domestic dog, domesticateEskimo dogF, family Lycosidae, Fenrir, Fiantsgenus Thylacinus, gray wolfhowl, hunting spider, hyena dogIndian wolfjackalLangdak, Little Red Ricing Hood, Loups, lycanthrope, lycanthropy, Lycosidaemaned wolfPouched dog, prairie wolf, pupred wolf, RomulusSea cat, size, Swinefishtame, tarantism, Tasmanain wolf, Tasmanian wolf, Thylacinus, timber wolf, To keep the wolf from the doorwerewolf, whelp, White wolf, wolf cub, Wolf dog, Wolf eel, Wolf fish, wolf pup, wolfish, wolfishly, Wolfkin, wolflike, Wolfling, wolfman, Wolvesyoung carnivoreZebra opossum. (references)
Specialty definitions using "wolf": AlansBeth GelertCressida, Cry WolfGauntgrim, GIP from gups a WOLF, Gleipnir, GodsHomer's Critics, HOODImprovisators, Inter Canem et LupumLoki's Three Children, Lucifera, Lupus et Agnus, Lupus in FabulaPorcusSapphics, Sebastian, StandardsWerewolf, Werwolf, William, WOLF IN THE BREAST, WOLF IN THE STOMACH, Wolf Men, Wolf nickel-cadmium battery, WOLF NUMBER, Wolf process. (references)
Etymologies containing "wolf": Wolframite. (references)
Non-English Usage: "Wolf" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses.

Afrikaan (wolf), Dutch (wolf), Frisian (wolf), German (grinder, intertrigo, mincer, shredder, wolf).

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Modern Usage: Wolf

DomainUsage

Screenplays

Still, I'd rather have him chasing me than the Wolf Man. (The Simpsons; writing credit: Artur Brauner; Paul Hengge)

Piper blew up the wolf from inside (Charmed; writing credit: Colman deKay)

This wolf business again (Balto; writing credit: David Cohen; Elana Lesser)

Let's just hope it's big enough for the wolf! (Ladyhawke; writing credit: Edward Khmara)

Ah, the old game: give a wolf a taste and then leave him hungry (From Russia with Love; writing credit: Ian Fleming; Johanna Harwood)

Lyrics

Is now the wolf. (Don't Cry; performing artist: Seal)

A lone wolf there starin' back at me (It's A Great Day To Be Alive; performing artist: Travis Tritt)

And you'll never hear the wolf cry (Colors of the wind; performing artist: Vanessa Williams)

Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon (Colors of the wind; performing artist: Vanessa Williams)

Movie/TV Titles

She Wolf of the SS Ilsa (1974)

Following the Tundra Wolf (1974)

Scream of the Wolf (1974)

Wolf Pack (1974)

Berlinfieber - Wolf Vostell (1973)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Commercial Usage: Wolf

DomainTitle

References

  • Howard B. Wolf, Inc.: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference)

  • Grey Wolf Incorporated: International Competitive Benchmarks and Financial Gap Analysis (reference)

    (more reference examples)

  

Books

  • Lone Wolf and Cub Volume 27 (reference)

  • Trio for Blunt Instruments a Nero Wolf (reference)

  • Baby Wolf (All Aborad Reading, Level 2) (reference)

  • Guards of Haven: The Adventures of Hawk & Fisher: Wolf in the Fold, Guard Against Dishonor, the Bones of Haven (reference)

  • War Against the Wolf: America's Campaign to Exterminate the Wolf (reference)

    (more book examples)

  

Periodicals

  

Theater & Movies

  • Power Rangers Wild Force - Curse of the Wolf (reference)

    (more DVD examples; more video examples)

  

Music

  

High Tech

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Image Slideshow: Wolf

Photos:
Wolf

More pictures...

Illustrations:
Wolf

More pictures...

Computer Images:
Wolf

More pictures...

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Photo Album: Wolf

ThumbnailDescription & CreditThumbnailDescription & Credit

Histopathology of blastomycosis, lung of wolf. Yeast cells of Blastomyces dermatitidis. FA stain. Credit: CDC.

A Wolf Fish - Anarhichas lupus - hiding in the rocks. Credit: Sanctuaries.

Launching party of DAVID STARR JORDAN at Christy Shipyards. Bob Wolf of BCF in center of photo (tallest) and F. E. Carbine, Regional Director of BCF Great Lakes on far right. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now.

Figure 24. Current meter invented by Ernest Mayer in 1877 for studying currents of the Adriatic Sea. The first tests were made near Pola in the northe rn Adriatic, by Professors Joseph Luksch and Julius Wolf of the Austrian Marine Academy in 1877. They were aboard the steamer DELI. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now.

One of the 8th Fighter Wing's newly upgraded F-16 Fighting Falcons touches down for the first time at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Nov. 17. The aircraft is one of three that arrived at the Wolf Pack, marking the transition from a primarily daytime.

Wolf Pack troops defend Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, against enemy attacks during Foal Eagle 2000. Foal Eagle 2000 is a combined Republic of Korea/U.S. Forces Korea joint field training exercise that occurred peninsula-wide from Oct. 25 to Nov. 3.

Wolf. Credit: USDA.

Readying for nighttime surveillance of migrating moths, agricultural engineer Wayne Wolf (left) adjusts a radar dish. When initial moth flight is detected, meteorologist Ritchie Eyster will launch a constant-altitude tetroon. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Jack Dykinga..

Wolf in trees. Credit: Unknown.

Upper Wolf Creek Falls (Full Level Flow). Credit: Unknown.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Digital Photo Gallery: Wolf
 

"Wolf 1" by John Mason
Commentary: "A wolf standing in some brush, looking to the left."
"Selfportrait in wolf skin" by Gilbert Tremblay
Commentary: "A picture I had to take for a projetc in school very interesting result since I wanted it to be just like this and it ended up looking like what I intended it to look like (i'm confused... lol)."

Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Sounds Captioned with "Wolf".

PlayCaptionPlayCaption
Wolf howling.Wolf howling with clock tower chiming in the background.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Familiar Quotations: Wolf

AuthorQuotation

Aesop

The lamb began to follow the wolf in sheep's clothing.
The boy cried "Wolf, wolf!" and the villagers came out to help him.

Rudyard Kipling

For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.

St. Augustine

The dove loves when it quarrels; the wolf hates when it flatters.

Thomas Fuller

It is madness for sheep to talk peace with a wolf.

Virgil

A sad thing is a wolf in the fold, rain on ripe corn, wind in the trees, the anger of Amaryllis.

William Shakespeare

He's mad that trusts in the tameness of a wolf, a horse's health, a boy's love, or a whore's oath.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Historic Usage: Wolf

AuthorDateQuotation

John Locke

1690

The state of war is a state of enmity and destruction: and therefore declaring by word or action, not a passionate and hasty, but a sedate settled design upon another man's life, puts him in a state of war with him against whom he has declared such an intention, and so has exposed his life to the other's power to be taken away by him, or any one that joins with him in his defence, and espouses his quarrel; it being reasonable and just, I should have a right to destroy that which threatens me with destruction, For by the fundamental law of nature, man being to be preserved, as much as possible, when all cannot be preserved, the safety of the innocent is to be preferred: and one may destroy a man who makes war upon him, or has discovered an enmity to his being, for the same reason that he may kill a wolf or a lyon; because such men are not under the ties of the commonlaw of reason, have no other rule, but that of force and violence, and so may be treated as beasts of prey, those dangerous and noxious creatures, that will be sure to destroy him whenever he falls into their power. (Second Treatise of Government)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Use in Literature: Wolf

TitleAuthorQuote

Les Miserables

Hugo, Victor

Give a human face to this dog son of a wolf, and you will have Javert

Walden

Thoreau, Henry David

They will slink back to their kennels in disgrace, or perchance run wild and strike a league with the wolf and the fox.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Non-Fiction Usage: Wolf

SubjectTopicQuote

Health

If you eat raw or undercooked meats, particularly pork, bear, wild feline (such as a cougar), fox, dog, wolf, horse, seal, or walrus, you are at risk for trichinosis. (references)

Business

Wolf received a 2-year suspended sentence. (references)

Lexicography

Devil's Dictionary

WEREWOLF, n. A wolf that was once, or is sometimes, a man. All werewolves are of evil disposition, having assumed a bestial form to gratify a beastial appetite, but some, transformed by sorcery, are as humane and is consistent with an acquired taste for human flesh. Some Bavarian peasants having caught a wolf one evening, tied it to a post by the tail and went to bed. The next morning nothing was there! Greatly perplexed, they consulted the local priest, who told them that their captive was undoubtedly a werewolf and had resumed its human for during the night. "The next time that you take a wolf," the good man said, "see that you chain it by the leg, and in the morning you will find a Lutheran."

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

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Usage Frequency: Wolf

"Wolf" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 63.54% of the time. "Wolf" is used about 682 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted)
Parts of SpeechPercentUsage per
100 Million Words
Rank in English
Noun (singular)63.54%43413,249
Noun (proper)33.82%23119,761
Lexical Verb (infinitive)1.32%9117,287
Lexical Verb (base form)1.17%8124,375
Noun (common)0.15%1339,140
                    Total100.00%682N/A

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Name Usage Frequency: Wolf

The following table summarizes the usage of "wolf" based on a population census conducted in the United States. Ranks and frequencies are based on all names reported and classified.
NameUsage/GenderUsage per 100
million Persons
Rank in USA
WolfLast name22,000524
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Derived & Related Names: Wolf

"Wolf" is a name that signifies or is derived from: "a wolf", "a path".
 
The following table summarizes names derived from the word "wolf".
 
NameGenderLanguageMeaning
ZeebN/ABiblical

Wolf

WolfMaleEnglish

A wolf

WolfMaleGerman

A wolf

WolfgangMaleGerman

A wolf

WolframMaleGerman

A wolf

WolfMaleJewish

A wolf

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

 

The following table summarizes names related to "Wolf."
NameGenderLanguageRelated Name
WolfMaleEnglishWolfgang
WolfMaleGermanWolfgang
WolfgangMaleGermanN/A
WolfMaleJewishWolfgang
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Usage in Company Names: Wolf

CountryName
USA

Grey Wolf Incorporated

 (more examples...)

Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.

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Expression: Wolf

Expressions using "wolf": a wolf in sheep's closing a wolf in the sheep's clothing arctic wolf Bee wolf bitch wolf Black wolf brush wolf cry wolf european wolf spider Fox wolf Friedrich August Wolf Golden wolf gray wolf have a wolf in one's stomach hold the wolf by the ears Hugo Wolf hungry as a wolf Indian wolf keep the wolf from the door like a wolf lone wolf lone wolf action maned wolf Mount Wolf painted wolf prairie wolf red wolf sea wolf small wolf strand wolf Tasmanain wolf tasmanian wolf the wolf and the lamb Thibetan wolf Tiger wolf timber wolf To keep the wolf from the door white wolf wolf at the door wolf bean wolf boy wolf call Wolf Creek wolf cub wolf dog wolf doun wolf down wolf eel wolf fish wolf hound Wolf Lake wolf net wolf pack Wolf Point wolf pup wolf spider Wolf Summit Wolf Trap wolf tree wolf whistle zebra wolf. Additional references.

Hyphenated Usage

Beginning with "wolf": wolf-children, Wolf-cub, wolf-demon, wolf-den, Wolf-dieter, wolf-ferrari, wolf-flesh, wolf-fur, wolf-gathering, Wolf-god, wolf-haunted, wolf-hounds, wolf-howl, wolf-language, wolf-like, Wolf-man, wolf-month, wolf-pack, Wolf-phillips, wolf-rats, Wolf-rayet, Wolf-rayet-like, wolf-repellent, wolf-spider, wolf-teeth, wolf-tools, wolf-trap, wolf-whistle, wolf-whistled, wolf-whistles, wolf-whistling, wolf-woman.

Ending with "wolf": Miodowicz-wolf.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Wolf

The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com.
 
ExpressionFrequency
per Day
ExpressionFrequency
per Day

wolf

13,947

timber wolf

310

wolf shirt

2,203

scott wolf

309

wolf figurine

2,039

red wolf

277

gray wolf

1,958

wolf photo

261

wolf picture

1,735

virginia wolf

259

wolf art

1,457

wolf pic

249

wolf camera

1,364

wolf appliance

239

wolf trap

1,353

wolf range

233

grey wolf

1,217

peter wolf

231

arctic wolf

1,161

red wolf airsoft

228

wolf spider

1,103

wolf t shirt

223

white wolf

1,060

brotherhood of the wolf

221

great lodge wolf

1,007

cub wolf

197

stuffed wolf

971

wolf wallpaper

192

99.5 wolf

715

wolf statue

185

wolf poster

604

wolf blitzer

171

black wolf

521

wolf creek

135

cnn.com wolf

375

lone wolf

135

tattoo wolf

350

wolf howling

126

dance with wolf

316

feminist wolf

124
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translation: Wolf

Language Translations for "wolf"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.

Afrikaans

  

wolf. (various references)

   

Albanian

  

ujk, njeri i pangopur (glutton, locust), gjuetar femrash. (various references)

   

Arabic 

  

‏مجاعة (dearth, famine, starvation), ‏زير نساء, ‏ذئب, ‏الذئب, ‏إلتهم (bolt, consume, demolish, devour, eat, eat up, engorge, gobble, gorge, gormandize, guzzle, ingest, make a pig of oneself, munch, overeat, shovel, snap, stuff, swallow, swig, tuck, tuck in), ‏أكل بنهم (cram, slop, stuff, tuck, tuck in), ‏شخص مخرب (locust). (various references)

   

Basque

  

otso. (various references)

   

Blackfoot

  

ómahkapi'si. (various references)

   

Bulgarian 

  

вълк, ненаситник (glutton, horse-leech, locust), нагъвам (cockle, corrugate, flex, fold, gobble, lap, punish, put away, ruckle, scoff, tuck away, tuck into, walk into), маган (gin), женкар (chaser, dangler, lothario, rake, rakehell), алчен човек (caterpillar), лапам лакомо, поглъщам лакомо (ingurgitate), изскърцване. (various references)

   

Catalan

  

llop. (various references)

   

Chamorro

  

lobu. (various references)

   

Chinese 

  

. (various references)

   

Cornish

  

blýth. (various references)

   

Czech

  

vlk (top, whirligig). (various references)

   

Danish

  

ulv (grey wolf). (various references)

   

Dutch

  

wolf (ball, grey wolf). (various references)

   

Ecuadorian Quechua

  

atuc. (various references)

   

Esperanto

  

lupo. (various references)

   

Faeroese

  

úlvur. (various references)

   

Farsi 

  

گرگ , حریصانه خوردن (Devour, Gobble, Gull, Gut, Guzzle, Lap), بوحشت انداختن . (various references)

   

Finnish

  

susi (dud). (various references)

   

French

  

loup (Atlantic wolffish, grey wolf, wolf tree, wolffish). (various references)

   

Frisian

  

wolf. (various references)

   

German

  

Wolf (grinder, intertrigo, mincer, shredder). (various references)

   

Greek 

  

λύκοσ (pickerel), λύκος (cockspur, deviling, grey wolf, knifing machine, mixing willow, picker, tearing machine, teaser, willowing). (various references)

   

Hebrew 

  

לזלול (gobble, gorge, gormandize, guzzle, make a pig of oneself, overeat, scoff), זאב. (various references)

   

Hungarian

  

farkas (wolves). (various references)

   

Icelandic

  

vargur, úlfur. (various references)

   

Indonesian

  

serigala (jackal). (various references)

   

Irish

  

mac tíre, faolchu. (various references)

   

Italian

  

lupo (wolf tree). (various references)

   

Japanese Kanji 

  

, ウラン濃縮 (polyurethane rubber, ultra, ultramarine, ultramodern, ultranationalism, uranium enrichment, urethane foam, Uruguay, Uruguay round). (various references)

   

Japanese Katakana 

  

おおかみ, ウルフ . (various references)

   

Korean 

  

늑대 (Wolves). (various references)

   

Manx

  

sluggey sheese (drink off, gobble, polish off, quaff, swallow up), moddey oaldey, filliu. (various references)

   

Mohawk

  

okwaho. (various references)

   

Occitan

  

lop. (various references)

   

Papago

  

sheh'e. (various references)

   

Papiamen

  

wòlf. (various references)

   

Pig Latin

  

olfway.(various references)

   

Portuguese

  

lobo (lobe). (various references)

   

Romanian

  

mânca lacom (batten, devour, gut, guttle), lup, devora (consume, demolish, destroy, devour, eat away, engorge, engulf), crãpa (break, burst, chap, check, cleave, crack, flaw, half-open, hook it, rift, slit, splinter, split, split a log, spring), înfuleca (bolt, engorge, gorge, guzzle, knap, slummock, wolf down). (various references)

   

Romansch

  

luf. (various references)

   

Romany

  

roov. (various references)

   

Russian 

  

волк (wolves). (various references)

   

Sepedi

  

phiri. (various references)

   

Serbo-Croatian

  

vuk, prožderati (devour, raven), kurjak, ženskaroš (womanizer). (various references)

   

Spanish

  

lobo (Lupus). (various references)

   

Swedish

  

varg (reject, scrap, waster, wolf tree), ulv. (various references)

   

Turkish

  

kurt (borer, caterpillar, cestode, cestoid, gadgety, gnawing, hand, hard boiled, helminth, worm). (various references)

   

Turkmen 

  

mцjek (bug, insect), gurt (worm), bцri (wolfish). (various references)

   

Ukrainian

  

старшина роти, хижак (predator, vulture), вовчак, вовк, залицяльник (admirer, adorer, beau, philander), бігати за дівчатами, пожирати з жадобою. (various references)

   

Vietnamese 

  

chó săn sói (wolf-hound). (various references)

   

Welsh

  

blaidd. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

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Ancestral Language Translations: Wolf

LanguagePeriodTranslations
Latin500 BCE-Modern

lupus. (various references)

Avestan200-600

vehrka. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Bible Trace: Wolf

LanguageDateSourceJohn Chapter 10, Verse 12
Greek (transliterated)250 BCSeptuagintO misqwtoV de kai ouk wn poimhn ou ouk eisin ta probata idia qewrei ton lukon ercomenon kai afihsin ta probata kai feugei kai o lukoV arpazei auta kai skorpizei ta probata
Latin405VulgateMercennarius et qui non est pastor cuius non sunt oves propriae videt lupum venientem et dimittit oves et fugit et lupus rapit et dispergit oves
Old English990West SaxonSe hÿra. se þe nys heorda & se þe nahþa scep. þonne he þonne wulf ge-syhð þonneflyhð he. & for-læt þa scep. & se wulf nemð & to-dræfð þa scep
Middle English1395WyclifBut an hirid hyne, and that is not the scheepherde, whos ben not the scheep his owne, seeth a wolf comynge, and he leeueth the scheep, and fleeth; and the wolf rauyschith, and disparplith the scheep.
Renaissance English1526TyndaleAn heyred servaut which is not ye shepeherd nether ye shepe are his awne seith the wolfe comynge and leveth the shepe and flyeth and the wolfe catcheth them and scattereth ye shepe.
Jacobean English1611King JamesBut he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
Victorian English1833WebsterBut he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
Basic English1964OgdenHe who is a servant, and not the keeper or the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming and goes in flight, away from the sheep; and the wolf comes down on them and sends them in all directions:

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Matched Bible Translations: Wolf

LanguageJohn Chapter 10, Verse 12
CebuanoAng sinuholan lamang ug dili magbalantay sa mga karnero, ni kinsa ang mga karnero dili iyang kaugalingon, inigpakakita niya sa lobo nga magsingabut, kini siya mobiya sa mga karnero ug mokalagiw; ug sila pagatangagon sa lobo ug pagapatibulaagon.
CroatianNajamnik - koji nije pastir i nije vlasnik ovaca - kad vidi vuka gdje dolazi, ostavlja ovce i bježi, a vuk ih grabi i razgoni:
DanishMen Lejesvenden, som ikke er Hyrde, hvem Fårene ikke høre til ser Ulven komme og forlader Fårene og flyr, og Ulven røver dem og adspreder dem,
DutchMaar de huurling, en die geen herder is, wien de schapen niet eigen zijn, ziet den wolf komen, en verlaat de schapen, en vliedt; en de wolf grijpt ze, en verstrooit de schapen.
FinnishMutta palkkalainen, joka ei ole paimen ja jonka omia lampaat eivät ole, kun hän näkee suden tulevan, niin hän jättää lampaat ja pakenee; ja susi ryöstää ja hajottaa ne.
FrenchMais le mercenaire, qui n`est pas le berger, et à qui n`appartiennent pas les brebis, voit venir le loup, abandonne les brebis, et prend la fuite; et le loup les ravit et les disperse.
GermanIch bin der gute Hirte. Der gute Hirte läßt sein Leben für seine Schafe. Der Mietling aber, der nicht Hirte ist, des die Schafe nicht eigen sind, sieht den Wolf kommen und verläßt die Schafe und flieht; und der Wolf erhascht und zerstreut die Schafe.
HungarianA béres pedig és a ki nem pásztor, a kinek a juhok nem tulajdonai, látja a farkast jõni, és elhagyja a juhokat, és elfut: és a farkas elragadozza azokat, és elszéleszti a juhokat.
Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hariOrang upahan yang bukan gembala dan bukan juga pemilik domba-domba itu, akan lari meninggalkan domba-domba kalau ia melihat serigala datang. Maka domba-domba itu akan diterkam dan diceraiberaikan serigala.
Indonesian-Terjemahan LamaTetapi orang upahan yang bukan gembala, dan lagi domba itu bukan miliknya sendiri, apabila dipandangnya serigala datang, ditinggalkannya kawan domba itu serta lari melepaskan dirinya, maka serigala itu menerkam domba itu sambil mencerai-beraikan dia.
ItalianIl mercenario invece, che non è pastore e al quale le pecore non appartengono, vede venire il lupo, abbandona le pecore e fugge e il lupo le rapisce e le disperde;
LatvianBet algâdzis, kas nav gans, kam avis nepieder, redzçdams vilku nâkam, atstâj avis un bçg; un vilks tâs nolaupa un izklîdina.
MaoriTena ko te tangata e utua ana, ehara nei i te hepara, ehara nei i a ia nga hipi, i tona kitenga i te wuruhi e haere mai ana, whakarerea ake e ia nga hipi, oma ana: na ka hopukia ratou e te wuruhi, a whakamararatia ana nga hipi.
NorwegianMen den som er leiesvenn og ikke hyrde, den som ikke eier fårene, han ser ulven komme, og forlater fårene og flyr, og ulven røver dem og jager dem fra hverandre;
PortugueseMas o que é mercenário, e não pastor, de quem não são as ovelhas, vendo vir o lobo, deixa as ovelhas e foge; e o lobo as arrebata e dispersa.   
RumanianDar cel plqtit, care nu este pqstor, wi ale cqrui oi nu sknt ale lui, cknd vede lupul venind, lasq oile wi fuge; wi lupul le rqpewte wi le kmprqwtie.
Russianб ОБЕНОЙЛ, ОЕ РБУФЩТШ, ЛПФПТПНХ ПЧГЩ ОЕ УЧПЙ, ЧЙДЙФ РТЙИПДСЭЕЗП ЧПМЛБ, Й ПУФБЧМСЕФ ПЧЕГ, Й ВЕЦЙФ; Й ЧПМЛ ТБУИЙЭБЕФ ПЧЕГ, Й ТБЪЗПОСЕФ ЙИ.
ShuarAntsu aya kuitjai takauka ni murikrichu ainiakui tura nekas Wáinniuchu asa pénker Wáintsui. Kame uunt Yawá winiakui murikiun ikiuki pisaawai. Uunt yawasha murikiun achik tsakinmawai.
SpanishPero el asalariado, que no es el pastor, y a quien no le pertenecen las ovejas, ve que viene el lobo, abandona las ovejas y huye; y el lobo arrebata y esparce las ovejas.
SwahiliMtu wa kuajiriwa ambaye si mchungaji, na wala kondoo si mali yake, anapoona mbwa mwitu anakuja, huwaacha kondoo na kukimbia. Kisha mbwa mwitu huwakamata na kuwatawanya.
SwedishMen den som är lejd och icke är herden själv, när han, den som fåren icke tillhöra, ser ulven komma, då övergiver han fåren och flyr, och ulven rövar bort dem och förskingrar dem.
UmaAne tauna to baha ragaji', uma lompe' pompo'ewu-na, apa' bela hi'a pue' bima. Ane mpohilo-i serigala tumai, metibo' -i mpalahii bima ewua-na. Jadi' bima toe nadapa' pai' nahungongo' serigala, alaa-na pagaa' -gaa' -ramo.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Derivations & Misspellings: Wolf

Derivations

Words beginning with "wolf": wolfberries, wolfberry, wolfed, wolfer, wolfers, wolffish, wolffishes, wolfhound, wolfhounds, wolfing, wolfish, wolfishly, wolfishness, wolfishnesses, wolflike, wolfram, wolframite, wolframites, wolframs, wolfs, wolfsbane, wolfsbanes. (additional references)

Words ending with "wolf": aardwolf, werewolf, werwolf. (additional references)

Words containing "wolf": rauwolfia, rauwolfias. (additional references)


Misspellings

"Wolf" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: kolf, qwol, volf, walft, Wlo, wlog, woef, wof, woff, wohl, wola, wole, wolfe, wolff, wolfy, wolof, wolp, wolq, wols, wolv, wolve, woolf, worf, wouf, wuf, wulf, Wulff, wyol. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

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Rhyming with "Wolf"

Words ending with "olf": Olf. (additional references)

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Anagrams: Wolf

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Direct Anagrams: flow, fowl.

Words within the letters "f-l-o-w"

-1 letter: low, owl.

-2 letters: lo, of, ow, wo.

 Words containing the letters "f-l-o-w"
 

+1 letter: flown, flows, fowls, woful, wolfs.

 

+2 letters: fallow, fellow, flowed, flower, follow, fowled, fowler, inflow, reflow, upflow, woeful, wolfed, wolfer.

 

+3 letters: airflow, batfowl, blowfly, blowoff, bowlful, cowflap, cowflop, fallows, fellows, felwort, flowage, flowers, flowery, flowing, flyblow, folkway, follows, fowlers, fowling, fowlpox, glowfly, inflows, lowlife, mudflow, oldwife, outflew, outflow, peafowl, reflown, reflows, seafowl, twofold, upflows, werwolf, witloof, wofully, wolfers, wolfing, wolfish, wolfram.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

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INDEX

1. Definition
2. Synonyms
3. Crosswords
4. Usage: Modern
5. Usage: Commercial
6. Images: Slideshow
7. Images: Photo Album
8. Images: Digital Art
9. Sounds
10. Quotations: Familiar
11. Quotations: Historic
12. Quotations: Fiction
13. Quotations: Non-fiction
14. Usage Frequency
15. Names: Frequency
16. Names: Derived from
17. Names: Company Usage
18. Expressions
19. Expressions: Internet
20. Translations: Modern
21. Translations: Ancient
22. Bible Trace
23. Abbreviations
24. Acronyms
25. Derivations
26. Rhymes
27. Anagrams
28. Bibliography


  

Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.