Note on 'dhole'

[David L. White]

> A word for wolf does not have to refer to an actual animal.  Imported wolf
> hides or wolf heads, wolf teeth, wolf images, wolf stories, wolf totems,
> powdered wolf whatevers, people with wolf nicknames, animals or animal
> by-products that might be like a wolf in some form or function or captive
> wolves traveling with an ancient equivalent of a circus or at the zoo might
> all answer to the name "wolf."

        Well yes, but then the word would probably be a borrowing (unless
there is some evidence it is a coined compound, which does not seem likely),
in which case Kannada "tola" is not its real origin, so my point still
stands.  There is also the problem that Kannada /t/ does not really explain
a spelling with "dh".  It would appear more likely that the original etymon
has been lost somehow, and that the Kannada word is a side-show.

Dr. David L. White