DIRE WOLF Definition & Meaning

dire wolf

[ dahyuhr woolf ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

an extinct canid species, Aenocyon dirus, with two recognized subspecies ( A. dirus dirus and A. dirus guildayi ), living in the Americas and eastern Asia during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene epochs: similar in size to the largest modern gray wolf ( Canis lupus ), but with larger, more powerful teeth suited for preying upon large prehistoric herbivores, such as mastodons, bison, camels, and horses.

Discover More

�y��vlog History and Origins

First recorded in 1910–15; translation of New Latin Canis dirus “dread dog,” species name coined by Joseph Leidy ( def ) (1858); designation Aenocyon dirus (from Greek ��ó��, “terrible” + Greek ��ý�ǲ�, “dog” [+ dirus ]) proposed (but not universally accepted) in 1918 to consolidate variously named species deemed separate from genus Canis ; 2021 DNA findings show the dire wolf to be highly distinct from extant wolflike canines and so the classification A. dirus is now accepted as appropriate

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Well, the dire wolf is in the details.

From

The skeletal resemblance can be close enough that even experts sometimes have difficulty properly identifying a dire wolf fossil from a prehistoric gray wolf one.

From

The discovery of a dire wolf mummy could help settle the uncertainty—Ice Age gray wolf pups have been found before, so it’s a possibility—but such a fossil has not been uncovered yet.

From

Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi do not have dire wolf parents to learn from—and we have absolutely no way of knowing whether they are truly behaving like dire wolves at all.

From

There is a magnificent, snow-white wolf on the cover of Time Magazine today - accompanied by a headline announcing the return of the dire wolf.

From

Browse