werewolf (English)

Where does "werewolf" come from?

The word 'werewolf' comes from the Proto-West Germanic compound *werawulf, which literally translates to 'man-wolf.' This term combined *wer, meaning 'man' (a root shared with Latin 'vir'), with *wulf, referring to the animal. It has remained largely unchanged throughout its journey from Old English through Middle English to the modern term we recognize today.

Full etymology tree

werewolf (English), 'A person who is transformed or can transform into a wolf or a wolflike human, often said to do so during a full moon.'
- inherited werwolf (Middle English)
  - inherited werewulf (Old English), 'werewolf'
    - inherited *werawulf (Proto-West Germanic), 'wolf-man, werewolf'
      - compound *wer (Proto-West Germanic), 'man'
        inherited *weraz (Proto-Germanic), 'man'
        inherited *wiHrós (Proto-Indo-European), 'man'
        derived *weyh₁- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to chase, pursue'
      - compound *wulf (Proto-West Germanic), 'wolf'
        inherited *wulfaz (Proto-Germanic), 'wolf'
        inherited *wúlpos (Pre-Germanic)
        inherited *wĺ̥kʷos (Proto-Indo-European), 'wolf'
        derived *welh₂- (Proto-Indo-European)

Direct ancestors

Updated July 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris