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View synonyms for hyena

hyena

or hy·ae·na

[ hahy-ee-nuh ]

noun

  1. a doglike carnivore of the family Hyaenidae, of Africa, southwestern Asia, and south central Asia, having a coarse coat, a sloping back, and large teeth and feeding chiefly on carrion, often in packs.


hyena

/ haɪˈiːnə /

noun

  1. any of several long-legged carnivorous doglike mammals of the genera Hyaena and Crocuta, such as C. crocuta ( spotted or laughing hyena ), of Africa and S Asia: family Hyaenidae, order Carnivora (carnivores) See also strandwolf


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Derived Forms

  • hyˈenic, adjective

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Other Words From

  • hy·enic hy·e·nine [hahy-, ee, -nahyn, -nin], adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of hyena1

1350–1400; Middle English hiena < Medieval Latin hyēna, Latin hyaena < Greek hýaina, equivalent to hy- (stem of hŷs ) hog + -aina feminine suffix; replacing Middle English hyane, hyene < Middle French hiene < Latin

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Word History and Origins

Origin of hyena1

C16: from Medieval Latin, from Latin hyaena, from Greek huaina, from hus hog

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Example Sentences

When this had been accomplished, Hlakanyana ate all the meat in the pot, and threw the bones at the Hyena.

It's no wonder he drinks, hitched up to a cantankerous old hyena like that.

This species, though smaller than the striped hyena, is of a fiercer nature and more dangerous.

With something like a feeling of satisfied vengeance, the young hunter saw the hyena roll over dead.

There is this also in their habit of pursuing their prey in packs, which renders them much more formidable than the hyena.

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Hydrushyenoid