Meanings
nounwolf child (plural wolf children)
plural wolf children
- A German street child, typically an orphan, who lived in East Prussia at the end of World War II.
Synonyms: little German
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA German street child, typically an orphan, who lived in East Prussia at the end of World War II.
Similar
little German
Origin
- Lithuanianvilko vaikas
- GermanWolfskind
- Englishwolf child
Calque of German Wolfskind and Lithuanian vilko vaikas. First attested in the 1990s.
More words from German, Lithuanian
Full word history & related roots →Translations
German Wolfskind
- Wolfskindhuman child raised by wolves
Polish wilcze dziecko
- wilcze dzieckohuman child raised by wolves
Portuguese criança-lobo
- criança-lobohuman child raised by wolves
Russian волчий ребёнок
- волчий ребёнок (volčij rebjónok)human child raised by wolves
Cite this entry
APA
wolf child. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wolf%20child
MLA
“wolf child.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wolf%20child. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wolf child,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wolf%20child.
Source: wolf child on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.