wolf (English)

Where does "wolf" come from?

The English noun 'wolf' traces its lineage through Middle English 'wolf' and Old English 'wulf'[1][2][3]. Further back, it descends from Proto-West Germanic '*wulf' and Proto-Germanic '*wulfaz'[1][2][3], which ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European reconstructed form '*wĺ̥kʷos'[1][2][3].

Open questions

The Proto-Indo-European form may derive either from the adjective '*wl̥kʷós' meaning dangerous or from the verbal root '*welh₂-' meaning to tear up. [4]
The phonological evolution from Proto-Indo-European '*wĺ̥kʷos' to Pre-Germanic '*wúlpos' involves an analogical shift. [5]

Full etymology tree

wolf (English), 'Canis lupus; the largest wild member of the canine subfamily.'
- inherited wolf (Middle English), 'wolf (Canis lupus; the largest wild member of the canine subfamily)'
  - inherited wulf (Old English), 'wolf'
    - inherited *wulf (Proto-West Germanic), 'wolf'
      - inherited *wulfaz (Proto-Germanic), 'wolf'
        inherited *wúlpos (Pre-Germanic)
        inherited *wĺ̥kʷos (Proto-Indo-European), 'wolf'

Ancestors

wolf (Middle English)
wulf (Old English)
*wulf (Proto-West Germanic)
*wulfaz (Proto-Germanic)
*wĺ̥kʷos (Proto-Indo-European)

Cognates and doublets

ujk (Albanian)
bolf (Bavarian)
воўк (Belarusian)
вълк (Bulgarian)
lobo (English)
lupus (English)
úlvur (Faroese)
Wolf (German)
𐍅𐌿𐌻𐍆𐍃 (Gothic)
λύκος (Greek)
𒉿𒀠𒆪𒉿𒀸 (Hittite)
úlfur (Icelandic)

Descendants and derived words

werewolf (English)
aard-wolf (English)
aphid wolf (English)
Arctic wolf spider (English)
Big Bad Wolf (English)
brush wolf (English)
buy wolf tickets (English)
cry wolf (English)
Desertas wolf spider (English)
dire wolf (English)
eastern wolf (English)
Futsing wolf snake (English)

Sources

Updated August 2026

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