hyène

Etymology

From Latin hyaena, from Ancient Greek ὕαινα (húaina).

Pronunciation

• ^{(aspirated or mute h)} IPA^(key): /jɛn/

• hyène

  (file)

• Homophone: yen

Noun

hyène f (plural hyènes)

1. hyena (animal)

Usage notes

The mute pronunciation is older and historically prescribed (e.g. by Littré and l'Acadeemie Franccaise); however, the aspirated pronunciation, already in use in the 19th century, is markedly more common today.

Further reading

• “hyène” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).