hyena


Also found in: Thesaurus, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

hy·e·na

also hy·ae·na  (hī-ē′nə)
n.
Any of several carnivorous mammals of the family Hyaenidae of Africa and Asia, which feed as scavengers and have powerful jaws, relatively short hind limbs, and coarse hair.

[Middle English hiene, hiena, from Old French hiene and Medieval Latin hiena, both from Latin hyaena, from Greek huaina : hūs, hu-, swine (in reference to the hyena's bristly mane like a hog's); see sū- in Indo-European roots + -aina, pejorative feminine n. suffix.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

hyena

(haɪˈiːnə) or

hyaena

n
(Animals) 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
[C16: from Medieval Latin, from Latin hyaena, from Greek huaina, from hus hog]
hyˈenic, hyˈaenic adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

hy•e•na

(haɪˈi nə)

n., pl. -nas.
a large carnivore of the family Hyaenidae, of Africa and S Asia, having a sloping back and large teeth and feeding chiefly on carrion, often in packs.
[1350–1400; Middle English hyane, hyene < Middle French hiene < Latin hyaena < Greek hýaina=hy-, s. of hŷs hog + -aina feminine n. suffix]
hy•e′nic, hy•e′nine (-naɪn, -nɪn) adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

hy·e·na

(hī-ē′nə)
Any of several meat-eating, dog-like mammals of Africa and Asia that feed mainly in groups as scavengers. Hyenas have very powerful jaws, a thick neck, and relatively short hind limbs.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.hyena - doglike nocturnal mammal of Africa and southern Asia that feeds chiefly on carrionhyena - doglike nocturnal mammal of Africa and southern Asia that feeds chiefly on carrion
canid, canine - any of various fissiped mammals with nonretractile claws and typically long muzzles
Hyaena hyaena, striped hyena - of northern Africa and Arabia and India
brown hyena, Hyaena brunnea, strand wolf - of southern Africa
Crocuta crocuta, laughing hyena, spotted hyena - African hyena noted for its distinctive howl
aardwolf, Proteles cristata - striped hyena of southeast Africa that feeds chiefly on insects
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
хиена
hyena
hyæne
hieno
hüään
کفتار
hyeena
hiéna
híena
hiena
hiēna
hyena
hijena
hyena

hyena

[haɪˈiːnə] Nhiena f
to laugh like a hyenareírse como una hiena
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

hyena

[haɪˈiːnə] nhyène f
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

hyena

[haɪˈiːnə] niena
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

hyena,

hyaena

(haiˈiːnə) noun
a dog-like animal with a howl which sounds like human laughter.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
As he was gnawing the last morsel from a bone his quick ears caught the padding of stealthy feet behind him, and turning he confronted Dango, the hyena, sneaking upon him.
Once we tried to walk on the ground, but were treed by a miserable hyena, who followed along underneath.
This time Momaya recognized it for what it was, the strange cry of a hyena. No more did she shudder, but she held her spear ready and called aloud to Bukawai to come out.
As was our custom, I went armed with both rifle and revolver; but I stripped and had my swim without further disturbance than the approach of a large hyena, a number of which occupied caves in the sand-stone cliffs north of the camp.
But when he saw the Recorder take the hand of the condemned, and raise him, whilst drawing forth the parchment from his pocket, -- when he heard the pardon of the Stadtholder publicly read out, -- then Boxtel was no more like a human being; the rage and malice of the tiger, of the hyena, and of the serpent glistened in his eyes, and vented itself in his yell and his movements.
The two most formidable Animal Men were my Leopard-man and a creature made of hyena and swine.
Now, if the question were to destroy a lion, a tiger, a cat, a hyena, I could understand it; but to deprive an antelope or a gazelle of life, to no other purpose than the gratification of your instincts as a sportsman, seems hardly worth the trouble.
It was an old man that made his way alone through the gloomy jungle, a wrinkled, dried up, little old man hideously scarred and tattooed and strangely garbed, with the skin of a hyena about his shoulders and the dried head mounted upon his grey pate.
"Now where is the hyena who will try a new burrow?" cried Umslopogaas.
He would joke with hyenas, returning their stare With an impudent wag of the head: And he once went a walk, paw-in-paw, with a bear, "Just to keep up its spirits," he said.
The ugly creatures were far from the cowardly things that our own hyenas are reputed to be; they stood their ground with bared fangs as we approached them.
Rokoff he say leave me here for the hyenas. That vas vorse than to kill.