(also hy·aena ) / haɪˈiːnə; NAmE / noun
a wild animal like a dog, that eats the meat of animals that are already dead and has a cry like a human laugh. Hyenas live in Africa and Asia.
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle 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).