lobishome

Galician

Manuel Blanco Romasanta was condemned in 1853 for 9 assassination; he plead himself not guilty because of his condition of lobishome

Etymology

11th century (nickname "Lubusome" inside a Latin text). From lubus (“wolf”) +‎ home (“man”), perhaps a calque of Germanic: compare Proto-West Germanic *werawulf. Cognate of Portuguese lobisomem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [loβiˈsɔmɪ]

Noun

lobishome m (plural lobishomes)

1. (folklore) a werewolf

   Synonyms: lobo da xente, licántropo

   • 1279, X. Ferro Couselo, editor, A vida e a fala dos devanceiros. Escolma de documentos en galego dos séculos XIII ao XVI, Vigo: Galaxia, page 37:

     pelos casares do Outeyro e pela fonte do Lubus ome

     by the houses of Outeiro and by the fountain of the werewolf

   • 1946, Antonio Fraguas, “El lobo en las tierras de Cotovad”, in Boletín de la Comisión Provincial de Monumentos Históricos e Artísticos de Ourense, volume XV, pages 129-137:

     "Moito eu chorei o domingo a tarde
     que veña Lorenzo, que diga a verdade,
     que diga a verdade; pero con cautela
     túa nai é bruxa, teño medo dela,
     teño medo dela porque ela me come,
     túa nai é bruxa, tua nai é bruxa,
     teu pai lobishome"

     I cried all Sundays' afternoon
     lets Lourenzo come and tell the truth
     tell the truth, but with precaution
     your mother is a witch, I fear her
     I fear hear because she eats me
     your mother is a witch, your mother is a witch
     your father a werewolf

     (folk song)

References

• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “lubus ome”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “lobishome”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “lobishome”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega