Lycanthropism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition or belief in the ability to transform into a wolf or werewolf; the mythical or psychological phenomenon involving changes between human and wolf form; the state of experiencing or practicing lycanthropy as a folkloric or mental condition
2. A supernatural or psychological disorder where individuals are thought to metamorphose into wolves or werewolf figures; the phenomenon encompassing human-to-wolf transformations in legend or belief; the experience or ideology of turning into a lupine creature
3. The concept or affliction related to humans changing shape into wolves, often associated with werewolf lore; a folkloric or psychiatric condition involving lycanthropic transformations; a belief or manifestation of becoming a wolf-like entity through mystical or psychological means

Etymology: King Lycaon of Arcadia appears in Ovid's "Metamorphoses" as a cruel ruler who served Zeus a dish of human flesh to test whether the god could tell the difference. Zeus punished him by transforming him into a wolf. The Greek compound "lykanthrōpia" joins "lykos," meaning wolf, with "anthrōpos," meaning man, and names that transformation. The English term comes from that Greek compound. The "-ism" ending is a less common variant of "lycanthropy," and it presents the condition or belief as a general state. Over time the idea split in two. Folklore kept the shapeshifter of village tales and werewolf trials, while later medical writing applied the same label to people who believed they had become an animal.

Synonyms: werewolfism, lycanthropy, shape-shifting, therianthropy