Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
werewolfism

werewolfism

1 9.9
The belief that someone can turn into a werewolf
  • noun
  • /ˈwɛrˌwʊlfɪzəm/
  • Literature
translation icon : licantropía
  • The legend of werewolfism often features individuals transforming during a full moon.

Examples

  • They say it's contagious—werewolfism, I mean.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Werewolfism.

    Shopping for Fangs (1997)

  • In many cultures, tales of werewolfism have fascinated people for centuries.

  • Some believe that werewolfism is merely a myth created to explain unusual behavior in others.

Synonyms

lycanthropy
vswerewolfism
  • Literature
3 9.9

A condition where a person turns into a wolf in old stories and myths

describes belief in becoming a human wolf in folklore rather than becoming a wolf

Surface Forms

werewolfism singular
werewolfisms plural

Morphology

werewolfism = werewolf (transparent) = werewolf + ism

The meaning is straightforwardly built from 'werewolf' (a mythical wolf-person) plus '-ism' indicating a belief or condition; learners who know 'werewolf' and '-ism' should infer the sense.

Etymology

The word werewolfism comes from werewolf, built from old parts wer meaning 'man' and wolf meaning 'wolf', plus the ending -ism meaning 'belief' or 'condition'. So werewolfism is the belief or supposed condition that a person can change into a wolf.