lycanthropy

noun
/laɪ̯ˈkæn.θɹə.piː/UK/laɪ̯ˈkæn.θɹə.pi/CA/lɑe̯ˈkæn.θɹə.piː/

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek λῠκᾰνθρωπῐ́ᾱ (lŭkănthrōpĭ́ā), from λῠκᾰ́νθρωπος (lŭkắnthrōpos, “wolfman”). By surface analysis, lycanthrope + -y (abstract noun suffix).

Definitions

  1. The state of being a lycanthrope (or werewolf), a person who can shapeshift between the…

    The state of being a lycanthrope (or werewolf), a person who can shapeshift between the form of a human being and a wolf, often said to happen involuntarily during a full moon; werewolfdom.

  2. The state of being a person who can shapeshift between the form of a human being and an…

    The state of being a person who can shapeshift between the form of a human being and an animal, whether or not it is a wolf.

    • On one hand, Jacques is quite glad that he doesn’t have classic lycanthropy. Turning into a squirrel tends to cause fewer problems than turning into a wolf.
  3. A delusion in which one believes oneself to be a wolf or other wild animal.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for lycanthropy. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA