fauna

[ faw-nuh ]

/ ˈfɔ nə /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for fauna on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural fau·nas, fau·nae [faw-nee]. /ˈfɔ ni/.

the animals of a given region or period considered as a whole.

a treatise on the animals of a given region or period.

(initial capital letter)Roman Religion. Bona Dea.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar Coach

Improve Your Writing

Origin of fauna

1765–75; <New Latin, special use of Latin Fauna, a feminine counterpart to Faunus; cf. Flora

OTHER WORDS FROM fauna

faunal, adjectivefau·nal·ly, adverb

Words nearby fauna

fault tree, faulty, faulty union, fault zone, faun, fauna, faunistic, fauns, Fauntleroy suit, faunula, Faunus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for fauna

Local fauna also came into greater view, less fearful of cities when the hum of engines and voices died down.
How the pandemic has helped and hurt animals around the world|Ula Chrobak|March 4, 2021|Popular Science
Barton also noted in his letter that the area, in a post-Civil War survey, was dubbed the “Canadian Valley” because of both the climate and the high concentration of far-north flora and fauna.
Skiing West Virginia’s ‘Canadian Valley’ in a banner season|John Briley|February 18, 2021|Washington Post
A pruner should be your go-tool for trimming and shaping your flora and fauna while preserving plant tissue and extending the life of your greenery.
Plant pruners to shape up your saplings|PopSci Commerce Team|January 19, 2021|Popular Science
The land holds some of the best-preserved Apache archaeological sites, as well as untouched flora and fauna like old-growth trees and threatened species like ocelots, which Redniss draws in realistic detail.
'Oak Flat' Chronicles a Battle to Save Sacred Land|Erin Berger|January 14, 2021|Outside Online

In Brazil, for instance, an app allows residents to report dead and afflicted fauna in hopes of identifying emerging outbreaks.
The fight to stop the next pandemic starts in the jungles of Borneo|Brian Barth|December 2, 2020|Popular Science
The area is a disturbed wetland, invaded by non-native melaleuca trees that have crowded out native flora and fauna.
How to Catch a Giant Python|Catharine Skipp|February 28, 2010|DAILY BEAST
You think of the rainforest as this incredibly abundant place of fauna and animals and flora.
Raiders of the Lost City|The Daily Beast|February 24, 2009|DAILY BEAST
I kept my word and now I am beginning to make acquaintance with the flora and fauna of my little wood.
Marguerite|Anatole France
The fauna is not abundant except in large mammals, which are very numerous on the drier steppes.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
It was obviously unfair to expect her to be familiar with the flora and fauna of every part of the great Australian Continent.
The Adventures of Louis de Rougemont|Louis de Rougemont
In the fauna of the region that I had traversed I had noted changes corresponding to those in the flora.
The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce|Ambrose Bierce
I may conclude this chapter by a brief view of the Fauna of the higher vertebral animals.
Travels in Peru, on the Coast, in the Sierra, Across the Cordilleras and the Andes, into the Primeval Forests|J. J. von Tschudi

British Dictionary definitions for fauna

fauna

/ (ˈfɔːnə) /

noun plural -nas or -nae (-niː)

all the animal life of a given place or time, esp when distinguished from the plant life (flora)

a descriptive list of such animals

Derived forms of fauna

faunal, adjectivefaunally, adverb

Word Origin for fauna

C18: from New Latin, from Late Latin Fauna a goddess, sister of Faunus

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

Medical definitions for fauna

fauna

[ fô′nə ]

n. pl. fau•nas

Animals, especially the animals of a particular region or period, considered as a group.

Scientific definitions for fauna

fauna

[ fô′nə ]

Plural faunas faunae (fô′nē′)

The animals of a particular region or time period.

Cultural definitions for fauna

fauna

[ (faw-nuh) ]

Animals, especially the animals of a particular place and time.

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

fauna

noun, plural fau·nas, fau·nae [faw-nee]. /ˈfɔ ni/.