Etymograph

English

hyen

Hyen comes from French hyène ‘hyena (animal)’, from Ancient Greek ὗς ‘swine, pig’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *suH-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*suH-‘pig, hog, swine’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*hūs‘swine’reconstructed
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEὗςhûs‘swine, pig’
  4. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEὕαινα‘hyena’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhyaena‘hyena’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presenthyène‘hyena (animal)’
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1598–1600hyen

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*suH-‘pig, hog, swine’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*hūs‘swine’reconstructed
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEὗςhûs‘swine, pig’
  4. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEὕαινα‘hyena’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEhyaena‘hyena’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presenthyène‘hyena (animal)’
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1598–1600hyen

Earliest quotation: c. 1598–1600, William Shakespeare, As You Like It: “I will laugh like a hyen.”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *suH- ‘pig, hog, swine’

swine, sow, 7 more

Today it means

noun A hyena.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *suH- / hyen

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