French word

loup

Pronunciation

IPA/lu/

Meaning

  • masculine nounwolf

Example

J'ai vu des loups près du village.

I saw some wolves near the village.

Illustration for loup (wolf)

More examples

On a entendu hurler une meute de loups cette nuit.

We heard a pack of wolves howling last night.

Core concept

A powerful wild dog-like predator that often travels and hunts with other wolves.

Common phrases

  • une faim de loup

    a wolf's hunger

  • meute de loups

    wolf pack

Similar words

chien: A domesticated canine commonly kept as a companion and living with people.
renard: A small, swift wild canine often featured in stories and folklore.
loup-garou: A legendary being said to transform from a person into a wolf at night.

Definition in French

Mammifère carnivore de la famille des canidés, ressemblant à un grand chien et vivant souvent en meute.

Word origin

The noun comes from Latin lupus through Old French, with related forms in several Romance languages, including Italian lupo and Spanish lobo.

Usage tips

  • Loup is masculine, so standard forms include un loup and le loup.

Other meanings

  • masknoun
  • sea bassnoun

Related words

  • louveteauwolf pupnoun
  • louveshe-wolfnoun

Word lists with this word