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

Other Word Forms

• hyenic adjective
• hyenine adjective

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hyena¹

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

Example Sentences

As she performed her calculations, the twins beat each other and yowled like hyenas, a sound so commonplace it hardly disturbed her concentration.

Read more on Literature

“Or a wee child. But you seem to have pluck, governess, and the girl is as fierce as a hyena, as I recall. Does she track prey as well as her brothers do?”

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Season 2 promotes Moore, still riding a career renaissance, from an underutilized background player to the woman charged with keeping the hyenas at bay.

Read more on Salon

"We never had wild animal attacks before... after prosopis spread, lions, hyenas, wild cats and foxes invaded our villages," Mohammed said.

Read more on Barron's

Rare hyena behaviours have been caught on camera, including a mother-to-be trying to steal food from wild dogs and outsmarting rivals by hiding a stolen carcass underwater to mask its scent.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• mutt 
• pooch 
• pup