hyena
Any of the medium-sized to large feliform carnivores of the family Hyaenidae, native to Africa and Asia and noted for the sound similar to laughter which they can make if excited.
Other meanings
A man that performs ritualized sex acts with recently widowed women and menarchal girls.
Related words
- brown hyena
- laughing hyena
- spotted hyena
- striped hyena
Word history
From Ancient Greek "ὕαινα".
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “hyena” on Wiktionary, by its contributors, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.