hyena
See also: hýena
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English hiena, from Medieval Latin hyēna, from Latin hyaena, from Ancient Greek ὕαινα (húaina). Displaced Old English nihtgenġe (literally "night walker").
Pronunciation
Noun
hyena (plural hyenas or hyena or hyenae)
- 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.
- 1994, T. M. Caro, Cheetahs of the Serengeti Plains: Group Living in an Asocial Species, page 283,
- (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
- brown hyena (Hyaena brunnea)
- laughing hyena (= spotted hyena)
- spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta)
- striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena)
Translations
mammal
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See also
Anagrams
Czech
Noun
hyena f
- hyena (large carnivore)
Declension
Related terms
Dutch
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin hyaena, from Ancient Greek ὕαινα (húaina).
Pronunciation
Noun
hyena f (plural hyena's, diminutive hyenaatje n)
Derived terms
Italian
Noun
hyena f (plural hyene)
Swedish
Noun
hyena c
- a hyena
Declension
Declension of hyena | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | hyena | hyenan | hyenor | hyenorna |
Genitive | hyenas | hyenans | hyenors | hyenornas |
See also
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms derived from Medieval Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English indeclinable nouns
- English nouns with irregular plurals
- en:Hyaenids
- en:People
- Czech lemmas
- Czech nouns
- Czech feminine nouns
- Dutch terms borrowed from Latin
- Dutch terms derived from Latin
- Dutch terms derived from Ancient Greek
- Dutch terms with IPA pronunciation
- Dutch terms with audio links
- Dutch lemmas
- Dutch nouns
- Dutch nouns with plural in -s
- Dutch feminine nouns
- nl:Carnivores
- Italian lemmas
- Italian nouns
- Italian countable nouns
- Italian terms spelled with Y
- Italian feminine nouns
- Italian obsolete forms
- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish nouns
- Swedish common-gender nouns
- sv:Hyaenids