hinny

[ hin-ee ]

noun,plural hin·nies.
  1. the sterile offspring of a male horse and a female donkey, similar in appearance and behavior to a mule, but usually smaller and with a more horselike head.

Origin of hinny

1
First recorded in 1680–90; obsolete hinne (from Latin hinnus; akin to Greek gínnos “mule”) + -y2

Words Nearby hinny

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hinny in a sentence

  • The body and barrel, however, of the hinny are flat and narrow, in which it differs from the horse and resembles the she ass.

  • The hinny, on the other hand, the produce of the stallion and she ass, is essentially a modified horse.

  • A very curious circumstance pertains to the voice of the mule and the hinny.

  • And hark ye, hinny, this house is to be your hame until you light on a better one, so just sleep saft in it and wake merrily.

    The Christian | Hall Caine
  • You wouldn't deprive a poor cratur of all the comfort she has in the world, would ye, hinny?

    Adle Dubois | Mrs. William T. Savage

British Dictionary definitions for hinny (1 of 3)

hinny1

/ (ˈhɪnɪ) /


nounplural -nies
  1. the sterile hybrid offspring of a male horse and a female donkey or ass: Compare mule 1 (def. 1)

Origin of hinny

1
C17: from Latin hinnus, from Greek hinnos

British Dictionary definitions for hinny (2 of 3)

hinny2

/ (ˈhɪnɪ) /


verb-nies, -nying or -nied
  1. a less common word for whinny

British Dictionary definitions for hinny (3 of 3)

hinny3

/ (ˈhɪnɪ) /


noun
  1. Scot and Northern English dialect a term of endearment, esp for a woman or child

Origin of hinny

3
variant of honey

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012