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white wolf

white wolf

1 4.2
A large wolf that lives in Arctic North America and has white fur
  • noun
  • /waɪt wʊlf/
  • US
translation icon : lobo blanco
  • You ever heard of the Arctic white wolf?

Examples

  • The Arctic white wolf, Congressman, realizes that it is stronger as part of a group.

  • The idea of there ever being black and white wolves may sound a bit dubious, but keep in mind that there are coyotes with Irish spotting.

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  • You ever heard of the Arctic white wolf?

  • One night the white wolf came into Bill's yard and killed his pet cow.

  • The Arctic white wolf, Congressman, realizes that it is stronger as part of a group.

  • - White wolf.

  • These spots likely came from crossing with dogs, and this description of black and white wolves further strengthens the case that black wolves were developed through crossing with domestic dogs.

    Blog text (32)
  • - It's not so, Chief, many of your own tribe have the look of a white wolf about them and many of your squaws have I met in the white man's villages.

  • The habits of this variety are nearly similar to those of the black and the white wolf, which we have already described, differing somewhat, owing to local causes, but showing the same sneaking, cowardly, yet ferocious disposition.

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  • As the sun set over the snowy landscape, a majestic white wolf appeared on the horizon, its fur gleaming in the fading light.

Synonyms

Arctic wolf
vswhite wolf
  • Specialized
1 4.4

A white wolf that lives in Arctic North America and has a black-tipped tail

is a more descriptive color-based common name rather than the standard subspecies name
Canis lupus arctos
vswhite wolf
  • Specialized
9.7

A large white wolf that lives in the Arctic with a black tip on its tail

is the common descriptive color name used in ordinary speech

Surface Forms

white wolf singular
white wolves plural

Morphology

white + wolf

The meaning 'a wolf that is white in color' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'white' (a color adjective) with 'wolf' (an animal noun) following a basic adjective + noun composition. This literal, descriptive structure is cross-linguistically common and will be immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

White wolf is a name that shows a clear picture: a wolf with thick white fur living in the far north. That's why it refers to the large 'arctic wolf' or 'polar wolf' that survives in snow and cold.