lycanthropy

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun

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.
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.
A delusion in which one believes oneself to be a wolf or other wild animal.

Pronunciation

lī-kăn′thrə-pē /laɪ̯ˈkæn.θɹə.piː/ /lʌɪ̯-/ /-ˈkan-/ /laɪ̯ˈkæn.θɹə.pi/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-NaomiAmethyst-lycanthropy.wav /lɑe̯ˈkæn.θɹə.piː/ /lɑe̯ˈkɛn.θɹə.piː/ /laɪ̯ˈkan.θɹə.pi/ /lʌi̯-/ /ləi̯-/ /-θɹʌ-/ /ləjˈka(ː)n.t̪ɾo.piː/ /lɑːj-/

Word forms

lycanthropy lycanthropies lycanthropia

Etymology

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

Synonyms

werewolfdom werewolfism

Related words

lycanthrope shapeshift werewolf

Derived words

lycanthropist

Translations

Catalan: licantropia Finnish: lykantropia French: lycanthropie Galician: licantropía German: Lykanthropie Greek: λυκανθρωπία Ancient Greek: λῠκᾰνθρωπῐ́ᾱ Hungarian: likantrópia Malay: likantropi Polish: likantropia Portuguese: licantropia Russian: ликантро́пия Spanish: licantropía Turkish: likantropi Ukrainian: лікантропі́я Volapük: lükantrop

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