werewolf

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 30, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>werewolf</strong> &#149; \WAIR-woolf\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><em>Werewolf</em> refers to a person transformed into a wolf or capable of assuming a wolf's form, especially during the full moon.</p> <p>// She went to the Halloween party dressed as a <em>werewolf</em>, wearing faux fur from head to toe.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/werewolf">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"With her brother and sister, Marnie follows her grandma to a city called Halloweentown, where ghosts and goblins and <em>werewolves</em> live side by side." — Claudia Guthrie, <em>ELLE</em>, 28 Aug. 2023</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>Although English sometimes makes use of other words for howling humanoid beasties, <em>werewolf</em> is the leader of the pack. It’s also an ancient word, tracing all the way back to the Old English <em>werwulf</em>, and before that to a prehistoric predecessor that also left its paw prints on German (<em>Werwolf</em>) and Dutch (<em>weerwolf</em>). Synonyms for <em>werewolf</em> in English include the obscure <em>lycanthrope</em>, which has roots in two Greek words (<em>lykos</em>, meaning "wolf," and <em>anthrōpos</em>, meaning "human being"), and <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loup-garou"><em>loup-garou</em></a>, which comes from Old French. Whichever you use, the <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lycanthropic">lycanthropic</a> creatures these words refer to most often assume wolf form during a full moon—at least in works of fiction. There are no credible studies to date on the behavior of real-life werewolves, as scientists have yet to find the silver bullet that proves they exist. </p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>