lycanthropy

• lycanthropia

Borrowed from Ancient Greek λῠκᾰνθρωπῐ́ᾱ (lŭkănthrōpĭ́ā), from λῠκᾰ́νθρωπος (lŭkắnthrōpos, “wolfman”). By surface analysis, lycanthrope +‎ -y (abstract noun suffix).

• enPR: lī-kăn′thrə-pē
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /laɪ̯ˈkæn.θɹə.piː/, /lʌɪ̯-/, /-ˈkan-/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /laɪ̯ˈkæn.θɹə.pi/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /lɑe̯ˈkæn.θɹə.piː/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /lɑe̯ˈkɛn.θɹə.piː/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): /laɪ̯ˈkan.θɹə.pi/, /lʌi̯-/, /ləi̯-/, /-θɹʌ-/
• (India) IPA^(key): /ləjˈka(ː)n.t̪ɾo.piː/, /lɑːj-/
• Rhymes: -ænθɹəpi
• Hyphenation: ly‧can‧thro‧py

lycanthropy (usually uncountable, plural lycanthropies)

1. (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.

   Synonyms: werewolfdom, werewolfism

2. (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.
   • 2014, Marijn Haverbeke, “4: Data Structures: Objects and Arrays”, in Eloquent JavaScript, 2nd Ed.: A Modern Introduction to Programming, No Starch Press, →ISBN, page 60:

     On one hand, Jacques is quite glad that he doesn’t have classic lycanthropy. Turning into a squirrel tends to cause fewer problems than turning into a wolf.

3. A delusion in which one believes oneself to be a wolf or other wild animal.

• shapeshift
• werewolf

• “lycanthropy”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.