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.
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
OTHER WORDS FROM hyena
hy·e·nic, hy·e·nine [hahy-ee-nahyn, -nin] /haɪˈi naɪn, -nɪn/, adjectiveWords nearby hyena
hydroxyzine,
hydrozincite,
hydrozoan,
hydruria,
hydrus,
hyena,
hyenoid,
hyetal,
hyeto-,
hyetograph,
hyetography
Example sentences from the Web for hyena
British Dictionary definitions for hyena
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 forms of hyena
hyenic or hyaenic, adjectiveWord Origin for hyena
C16: from Medieval Latin, from Latin
hyaena, from Greek
huaina, from
hus hog