Definify.com
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.
Definition 2024
hyena
hyena
See also: hýena
English
Alternative forms
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
|
|
See also
Dutch
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɦiˈjeːnaː/
Noun
hyena m (plural hyena's, diminutive hyenaatje n)