Etymology of the English word hyena
the English word
hyenaderived from the Medieval Latin word
hyenaderived from the Latin word
hyaena (hyena)
derived from the Greek word
huainaderived from the Greek word
hus, ὗς (a hog ('swine'))
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*su-derived from the Greek word
uaina, ὕαινα
derived from the Old French word
hienederived from the Latin word
hyaena (hyena)
derived from the Greek word
huainaderived from the Greek word
hus, ὗς (a hog ('swine'))
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*su-derived from the Greek word
uaina, ὕαινα
Date
The earliest known usage of hyena in English dates from the 16th century.
Derivations in English
hyenoidCognates
Dutch
hyena, English
hyaena, French
hyène, German
Hyäne, Icelandic
híena, Italian
iena, Latin
hyaena, Lithuanian
hiena, Spanish
hiena, Swedish
hyenaUsage
Word found in Modern English
