wolf pup
1
2.0
- noun
- /wʊlf pʌp/
:
cachorro de lobo
- During our visit to the wildlife sanctuary, we spotted a wolf pup napping by the den.
Examples
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The little boy was thrilled to see the wolf pup playing with a stick in the yard.
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When he and Boitani (whose country house is nearby) went in to investigate, they found a litter of six wolf pups in the house.
Academic text (1996) -
It's that wolf pup again.
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I swear I saw that wolf pup inside.
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When I was your age, I rescued a wolf pup.
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Look how well he's playing with the wolf pups.
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Dad, I love the wolf pups, but they're a little too rough for Dennis.
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Presumably, dog domestication began when humans captured wolf pups and raised them as pets.
Academic text (1997) -
Dogs greet and lick their human masters the way wolf pups do their elders.
Academic text (1997) -
The wolf pup tried to howl but ended up making a cute yipping sound instead.
Synonyms
How Young
1
2.0
8
6.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a young wolf' is directly and compositionally derived from 'wolf' (the species) and 'pup' (a young animal). This straightforward noun+noun combination is cross-linguistically common and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Wolf pup comes from joining wolf and pup, because pup is a word used for a baby dog. The image of a small, playful wolf pup makes it easy to see why the phrase means 'a young wolf'.