LYCANTHROPY

lycanthropy

(noun) (folklore) the magical ability of a person to assume the characteristics of a wolf

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

lycanthropy (usually uncountable, plural lycanthropies)

(mythology) 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.

(mythology, by extension) 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.

Synonyms

• (state of being a werewolf) werewolfdom, werewolfism

Source: Wiktionary

Ly*can"thro*py, n. Etym: [Gr. lycanthropie.]

1. The supposed act of turning one's self or another person into a wolf. Lowell.

2. (Med.)

Definition: A kind of erratic melancholy, in which the patient imagines himself a wolf, and imitates the actions of that animal.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition