hircine

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English

Alternative forms

Etymology

First attested in its present form in 1650–1660: From Middle English hircyne, from Latin hircīnus (“of a goat”, “goat-scented”); equivalent to hircus (“a male goat”) + -īnus (“-ine”). Cognate with French hircin. Compare caprine, haedine.

Pronunciation

Adjective

hircine (comparative more hircine, superlative most hircine)

  1. (book word, not comparable) Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of goats.
    • 1781, Thomas Pennant, History of Quadrupeds‎, volume 2, page 528:
      They are monſtrouſly fat, and have a moſt hircine ſmell.
    • 1838, Hypericaceæ, entry in The Penny Cyclopaedia, Volume 12, page 411,
      Many are objects of ornament, but they are little cultivated because they have frequently a disagreeable hircine odour.
    • 1992, Helge Ingstad, Land of Feast and Famine‎, page 291:
      People always smiled a little when they looked at Skøieren, and it was surely true that this dog had a most whimsical appearance, practically lost as he was in the depths of his hircine coat of fur.
    • 1820, J. J. Virsey, The Natural History of Medicines, Aliments and Poisons, taken from the Kingdoms of Nature: The London Medical and Physical Journal, volume 44, page 247:
      Linnæus formed seven classes of odours of medicines; namely, the aromatic, fragrant, ambrosiac, alliaceous, hircine, fetid, and nauseous.
  2. Possessed of an odour reminiscent of goats.
  3. Libidinous; lustful.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

hircine (uncountable)

  1. (mineralogy) A fossil amorphous resin which, when burnt, gives off a pungent, hircinous aroma.

Synonyms

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 “hircine” defined by Dictionary.com Unabridged, © Random House, Inc. 2009
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 “hircine” listed in The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 “hircine, a. and n.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 “hircine” listed in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 “hircine” defined by WordNet® 3·0, © 2006 by Princeton University
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