Hircine

//ˈhɜːsaɪn// adj, noun

adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A fossil amorphous resin which, when burnt, gives off a pungent, hircinous aroma. uncountable
Adjective
  1. 1
    Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of goats. not-comparable

    "They are monſtrouſly fat, and have a moſt hircine ſmell."

  2. 2
    Possessed of an odour reminiscent of goats.
  3. 3
    Libidinous; lustful.
Adjective
  1. 1
    of or pertaining to or suggestive of a goat (especially in strong odor) wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
goatyhircoseasininebovinecaprineequestrian

Example

More examples

"They are monſtrouſly fat, and have a moſt hircine ſmell."

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. By surface analysis, hirc- (“buck, male goat”) + -ine. Compare caprine, haedine.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.