spotted hyena
- noun
- /ˈspɑːtɪd haɪˈiːnə/
- South African
:
hiena manchada
- While on our safari, we were thrilled to see a spotted hyena lurking near the waterhole.
- observe the spotted hyena
It turns out that in the spotted hyenas, the females are dominant.
- It turns out that in the spotted hyenas, the females are dominant.
Examples
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The natural history of the spotted hyena.
Academic text (1998) -
It turns out that in the spotted hyenas, the females are dominant.
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A spotted hyena typically spends its first few weeks of life in an abandoned aardvark burrow.
Academic text (1998) -
We use the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) as a model organism in which to examine patterns of behavioral development.
Academic text (1998) -
Over the vast savannas of Africa, one is often likely to observe the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), as that species is the most common.
Academic text (2005) -
The spotted hyena is well-known for its distinctive howl that echoes through the savannah.
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The strong jaws of a spotted hyena enable it to crush bones with ease.
Synonyms
1
6.1
A large African animal with spots that makes a laugh-like call
A large spotted African animal that eats meat and lives in groups
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is directly compositional: 'spotted' describes the coat and 'hyena' names the animal, so the phrase simply denotes a hyena with spots. This is a straightforward modifier+noun combination found across languages and therefore a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Spotted hyena is a simple name that shows what the animal looks and sounds like: spotted points to the many dark spots on its coat and hyena is the animal known for a loud, laugh-like 'call'. So the name helps you picture the large African meat-eater with spots and a strange 'laugh'.