noun pl. jackals or jackal
- any of several wild dogs of Asia and N Africa, mostly yellowish-gray and smaller than the wolf: they often hunt prey in packs, generally at night, and also eat carrion and certain plants
- a person who does dishonest or humiliating tasks for another: from the notion that the jackal hunts game for the lion and eats the leavings
- a cheat or swindler
Origin:
Turk chaqāl < Pers shagāl < Sans śrgālá