hyaena

[ hahy-ee-nuh ]

/ haɪˈi nə /

noun

hyena.

Nearby words

Related formshy·ae·nic, adjective

hyena

or hy·ae·na

[ hahy-ee-nuh ]

/ haɪˈi nə /

noun

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.

Compare brown hyena, spotted hyena, striped hyena.

Origin of hyena

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

Related formshy·e·nic, hy·e·nine

[hahy-ee-nahyn, -nin] /haɪˈi naɪn, -nɪn/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hyaena

So the lion turned to the hyaena and said, "You must then speak first."
Black Tales for White Children|C. H. Stigand
The upper carnassial tooth, however, is like that of Hyaena in having a strong inner cusp.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard
Vultures of many kinds dispute with lion and hyaena for the carrion of dead ox or mule beside the road of our advance.
Sketches of the East Africa Campaign|Robert Valentine Dolbey
So the hyaena let go and said to him, "I will follow you and see; but if you have deceived me I will kill you."
Black Tales for White Children|C. H. Stigand

The hyaena thought awhile and then said, "My age is five hundred years old."
Black Tales for White Children|C. H. Stigand

British Dictionary definitions for hyaena

hyaena

/ (haɪˈiːnə) /

noun

a variant spelling of hyena

Derived Formshyaenic, adjective

hyena

hyaena

/ (haɪˈiːnə) /

noun

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

Derived Formshyenic or hyaenic, adjective

Word Origin for hyena

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

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

Word Origin and History for hyaena

hyena

mid-14c., from Old French hiene, from Latin hyaena, from Greek hyaina "swine" (fem.), from hys "pig" + fem. suffix -aina. So called for its bristles. Applied to cruel, treacherous, and greedy persons since at least 1670s. Adjectival forms that have been attempted in English include hyenaish, hyenaesque, hyenic, hyenine.