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Webster 1913 Edition


Hyena

Hy-e′na

,
Noun.
;
pl.
Hyenas
(#)
.
[L.
hyaena
, Gr. [GREEK], orig., a sow, but usually, a Libyan wild beast, prob., the hyena, fr. [GREEK] hog: cf. F.
hyène
. See
Sow
female hog.]
(Zool.)
Any carnivorous mammal of the family
Hyænidæ
, doglike nocturnal mammals of Africa and southern Asia, of which three living species are known. They are large and strong, but cowardly. They feed chiefly on carrion, and are nocturnal in their habits.
[Written also
hyæna
.]

Syn. – hyaena.
☞ The striped hyena (
Hyæna striata
) inhabits Southern Asia and a large part of Africa. The brown hyena (
Hyæna brunnea
), and the spotted hyena (
Crocuta maculata
), are found in Southern Africa. The extinct cave hyena (
Hyæna spelæa
) inhabited England and France.
Cave hyena
.
See under
Cave
.
Hyena dog
(Zool.)
,
a South African canine animal (
Lycaon venaticus
), which hunts in packs, chiefly at night. It is smaller than the common wolf, with very large, erect ears, and a bushy tail. Its color is reddish or yellowish brown, blotched with black and white. Called also
hunting dog
.

Webster 1828 Edition


Hyena

HYE'NA

,
Noun.
[L. hyaena.] A quadruped of the genus Canis,having small naked ears, four toes on each foot, a straight jointed tail, and erect hair on the neck; an inhabitant of Asiatic Turkey, Syria,Persia and Barbary. It is a solitary animal,and feeds on flesh; it preys on flocks and herds, and will open graves to obtain food. It is a fierce, cruel and untamable animal, and is sometimes called the tiger-wolf.

Definition 2024


hyena

hyena

See also: hýena

English

Alternative forms

Noun

hyena (plural hyenas or hyena or hyenae)

  1. Any of the medium-sized to large feliform carnivores of the subfamily Hyaeninae (genera Hyaena and Crocuta), native to Africa and Asia and noted for the sound similar to laughter which they can make if excited.
    • 1994, T. M. Caro, Cheetahs of the Serengeti Plains: Group Living in an Asocial Species, page 283,
      I took no systematic data on the costs to cheetahs and hyenas, but some anecdotes suggest that both parties took numerical advantage and hunger into account.
    • 2002, Maskew Miller Longman, Find Out about African Animals, page 28,
      Hyenas are scavengers, which means they eat food left behind by other animals and people.
    • 2003, Anne Engh, Kay E. Holekamp, Case Study 5A: Maternal Rank "Inheritance" in the Spotted Hyena, Frans B. M. De Waal, Peter L Tyack (editors), Animal Social Complexity: Intelligence, Culture, and Individualized Societies, page 149,
      Hyena biologists often think of spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) as baboons with big teeth and relatively small brains.
  2. (Sub-saharan Africa) A man that performs ritualized sex acts with recently widowed women and menarchal girls
    • see Citations:hyena

Usage notes

The hyena family, Hyaenidae, also includes the smaller insectivorous aardwolf, the sole survivor of a lineage regarded as more dog-like.

Derived terms

Translations

See also


Czech

Noun

hyena f

  1. hyena (large carnivore)

Declension

Related terms

  • hyenismus

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɦiˈjeːnaː/

Noun

hyena m (plural hyena's, diminutive hyenaatje n)

  1. hyena

Italian

Noun

hyena f (plural hyene)

  1. Obsolete spelling of iena

Swedish

Noun

hyena c

  1. a hyena

Declension

Inflection of hyena 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative hyena hyenan hyenor hyenorna
Genitive hyenas hyenans hyenors hyenornas

See also