seawolf

noun — 3 senses

seawolf

noun

Etymology From Middle English sēwolf, from Old English *sǣwulf, equivalent to sea + wolf.

1

A strong-jawed North Atlantic fish of wolffish family Anarhichadidae, Anarhichas lupus.

2

Archaic An elephant seal.

3

Any of various dangerous people and animals that attack at sea.

  • The seawolf twisted onto itself, its jaws clopping together near its own tail.1998, David Drake, Lord of the Isles, Macmillan, →ISBN, page 37:
  • Benjamin stood, gasping for breath and looking down at the dead corsair. "You were a worthy foe, seawolf," he murmured regretfully.1992, Shirl Henke, Return to Paradise, Leisure Books (Mm), →ISBN, page 408:
1 more example
  • Kebisu was regarded as a ferocious and cunning seawolf, who had raised his diminutive island to the state of marine fortress without so much as erecting a brush stockade; he had no fixed defences.1978, Peter Pinney, Estelle Runcie, Too many spears, Angus & Robertson, →ISBN, page 60:
Synonyms
Atlantic wolffish, Atlantic catfish, ocean catfish, sea cat
Related terms
seadog

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.