hircine

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

First attested in its present form in 1650–1660:[1] From Middle English hircyne[2], from Latin hircīnus (“of a goat”, “goat-scented”);[1][2][3][4] equivalent to hircus (“a male goat”)[2][4] + -īnus (“-ine”).[1] Cognate with French hircin.[4] Compare caprine, haedine.

Pronunciation
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈhɜːsaɪn/[3]
    • Audio (Southern England)(file)
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈhɝsaɪn/,[1][2] IPA(key): /ˈhɝsɪn/[1][2]

Adjective

hircine (comparative more hircine, superlative most hircine)

  1. (book word, not comparable) Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of goats.[1][2][3][4][5]
    • 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[plants of family Hypericaceae] 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.[1][2][3][4][5]
  3. Libidinous; lustful.[1][3]

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

hircine (uncountable)

  1. (mineralogy)[3] A fossil amorphous resin which, when burnt, gives off a pungent, hircinous aroma.[3]

Synonyms
  • (hircinous resin): hircite

References
  1. “hircine” defined by Dictionary.com Unabridged, © Random House, Inc. 2009
  2. “hircine” listed in The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
  3. “hircine, a. and n.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]
  4. “hircine” listed in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
  5. “hircine” defined by WordNet® 3·0, © 2006 by Princeton University
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