werewolf
n. countablen. a person in stories who changes into a wolf when there is a full moon. They usually have super strength and can only be hurt by silver.
n. a mythical being who undergoes a periodic transformation from human to lupine form, typically triggered by the appearance of a full moon.
The legend says a werewolf only changes during a full moon.
In many horror movies, the protagonist realizes they are a werewolf after waking up in the woods with no memory of the night.
Folklore regarding the werewolf varies across cultures, but most modern interpretations emphasize the tragic loss of human consciousness during the violent physical metamorphosis.
From Middle English werwolf, from Old English werewulf, from Proto-West Germanic werawulf, from Proto-West Germanic wer (“man”) + *wulf (“wolf”). Cognate with Dutch weerwolf, Low German Warwulf, German Werwolf, Danish varulv, Swedish varulv, and even possibly Finnish vironsusi. By surface analysis, were- + wolf. Compare French garou in loup-garou; French dialectal gairou, varou (“werewolf”); Medieval Latin gerulphus, garulphus (“werewolf”); all from Germanic, probably Frankish werawulf.
Often used in the context of horror fiction, mythology, or folklore.