Where does “she-wolf” come from?

she-wolf (English) comes from English wolf, from Middle English wolf, from Old English wulf, from Proto-West Germanic wulf, from Proto-Germanic wulfaz, from Proto-Indo-European wĺ̥kʷos — wolf.

she-wolf (English): A female wolf; A predatory woman

Definitions

  1. A female wolf; A predatory woman

Ancestry of “she-wolf”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwolfThe gray wolf, specifically all subspecies of the...
2Middle Englishwolfwolf, lupine; terrifying person
3Old Englishwulfwolf
4Proto-West Germanicwulfwolf
5Proto-Germanicwulfazwolf
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwĺ̥kʷoswolf
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wĺ̥kʷos →Every word from Proto-Germanic wulfaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic wulf →