hyena
noun /haɪˈiːnə/
/haɪˈiːnə/
(also hyaena)
- an African wild animal like a dog that hunts in groups or eats the meat of animals that are already dead and makes a sound like a human laughTopics Animalsc2Word OriginMiddle English: via Latin from Greek huaina, feminine of hus ‘pig’ (the transference of the term probably being because the animal's mane was thought to resemble a hog's bristles).