hinny
Americannoun
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of hinny
First recorded in 1680–90; obsolete hinne (from Latin hinnus; akin to Greek gínnos “mule”) + -y 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
This worthy farm and sanctuary is home to 19 assorted equines — including three mares and their foals saved from slaughter, two rescued mustangs, plus mini-horses, mini-donkeys, a hinny and a mule.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 5, 2018
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse, and a hinny is the offspring of a male horse and female donkey.
From New York Times ● Oct. 31, 2016
When a female horse and a male donkey mate, they produce a longer-eared, thin-maned mule; a male horse and a female donkey typically generate a smaller, shorter-eared hinny.
From The New Yorker ● May 2, 2016
Life is going to be hard enough, but then they go and call you a hinny and you’ve got that “Boy Named Sue” thing going too.
From Time ● Mar. 13, 2014
"And it's nineteen you are to-day, hinny," she cried, looking at Christina fondly.
From In Orchard Glen by MacGregor, Mary Esther Miller
Mules are bred far more often than hinnies because male donkey/female horse pairings are about as successful as horses breeding with horses, a rate of about 65 percent.
From New York Times ● Oct. 31, 2016
Mules and hinnies can be male or female, but are almost always infertile.
From New York Times ● Oct. 31, 2016
Fat rascals are not dissimilar to singing hinnies and were added to represent the lesser-spotted but very much included male members of the group.
From The Guardian ● May 8, 2013
"Gang awa, ane o' ye, hinnies, up to the heugh head, and gie them a cry in case they're within hearing; the car-cakes will be burnt to a cinder."
From The Antiquary — Volume 02 by Scott, Walter, Sir
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
