Where does “lone wolf” come from?

lone wolf (English) comes from English Lone, from English alone, from Middle English allone, from Middle English on, from Old English on, from Proto-West Germanic ana, from Proto-Germanic *an, from Proto-Germanic ana — on, onto.

lone wolf (English): A wolf that is not part of a pack; A person who...

Definitions

  1. A wolf that is not part of a pack; A person who...

Ancestry of “lone wolf”, step by step

lone wolf traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Lone

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishLoneSolitary; having no companion
2EnglishaloneBy oneself, solitary; Apart from, or exclusive...
3Middle Englishallonealone
4Middle Englishonon, in; on; Alternative form of oon
5Old Englishonon, in, at, among; from
6Proto-West Germanicanaon
7Proto-Germanic*an
8Proto-Germanicanaon, at; on, onto; ana
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂en-on, onto

via English Wolf

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishWolfThe constellation Lupus
2Middle Englishwolfwolf, lupine; terrifying person
3Old Englishwulfwolf
4Proto-West Germanicwulfwolf
5Proto-Germanicwulfazwolf
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwĺ̥kʷoswolf

Words derived from “lone wolf

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂en-Every word from Proto-Germanic anaEvery word from Proto-Germanic *an
lone wolf — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer