Wetting of hot-pressed polycrystalline WC substrates by a Zr55Cu30Al10Ni5 bulk metallic glass (BMG)-forming alloy was investigated at 1133-1253 K in a high vacuum using a modified sessile drop method. The alloy melt spread rapidly on the WC surface, reaching no more than 30 degrees within 3 s, and then slowly (at T < 1213 K) or even remained steady (at T >= 1213 K) in the subsequent isothermal dwelling stage. The final equilibrium contact angles were between 11 degrees and 20 degrees, slightly increasing with rising temperature and thus presenting an appreciably anomalous temperature-dependent behavior. The reaction between WC and the Zr-base melt was moderate, slightly enhancing with increasing temperature, and yielded W, ZrC and W5Zr3 at the interface. The wetting, in principle, was driven by the formation of a precursor film in front of the triple line as a result of the adsorption of active atoms (primarily Zr) rather than by the interfacial reaction. From the viewpoint of the wettability and reactivity, WC is a good reinforcement for the preparation of the Zr-base BMG matrix composites. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.