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Hyena definition

hī-ēnə
hyenas
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Any of various wolflike carnivores (family Hyaenidae) of Africa and Asia, with powerful jaws, a bristly mane, short hind legs, and a characteristic shrill cry suggestive of laughter: hyenas are hunters and scavengers.
noun
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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.
noun
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Large, canine‐resembling carnivore belonging to the family Hyaenidae, native to Africa and Asia, often notable for the sound similar to laughter which it can make if excited.
noun
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
hyena
Plural:
hyen, hyenae, hyenas

Origin of hyena

  • Middle English hiena from Old French hiene from Latin hyaena from Greek huaina feminine of hūs swine (from its bristly mane like a hog's) sū- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Old French hyene, from Latin hyaena, from Ancient Greek ὕαινα (huaina).

    From Wiktionary

Hyena Sentence Examples

  • The striped hyena is scattered over the country sparsely.

  • There are also within these coverts several varieties of wild animals, such as the tiger, leopard, hyena, wild boar, nilgai and jackal.

  • Other animals fairly numerous are the spotted hyena, long-eared fox, jackal, aard wolf, red lynx, wild cat, wild dog and wart hog.

  • The fauna of Algeria resembles that of the Mediterranean system generally, though many animals once common to South Europe and North Africa - such as the lion, panther, hyena and jackal - are now extinct in Europe.

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