jackal
any of several nocturnal wild dogs of the genus Canis, especially C. aureus, of Asia and Africa, that scavenge or hunt in packs.
a person who performs dishonest or base deeds as the follower or accomplice of another.
a person who performs menial or degrading tasks for another.
Origin of jackal
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use jackal in a sentence
And Clapper is said to have urged Petraeus to resign on his own terms rather than await the jackals.
The Saracen proverb is verified: "The Christians find here shelter only in the belly of the vultures, the jackals and the lions!"
The Pilgrim's Shell or Fergan the Quarryman | Eugne SueWhen I do not come out, my officer will know that you are here, and you can just be smoked out like jackals.
The Cradle of Mankind | W.A. WigramAn unusual number of wolves and jackals hovered around our encampment of last night, attracted probably by the smell of the meat.
Beyond this village lay a ruined city, now inhabited by cobras and slinking jackals.
The Adventures of Kathlyn | Harold MacGrath
Then the stars came out with a rush, and the jackals began to bay along the hillside in the gloom of the bush.
A Frontier Mystery | Bertram Mitford
British Dictionary definitions for jackal
/ (ˈdʒækɔːl) /
any of several African or S Asian canine mammals of the genus Canis, closely related to the dog, having long legs and pointed ears and muzzle: predators and carrion-eaters
a person who does menial tasks for another
a villain, esp a swindler
Origin of jackal
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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