Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of or characteristic of a goat, especially in strong odor.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Pertaining to or having the 179 characteristics of a goat; like a goat; goatish; especially, having a rank smell like that of a goat.
  • noun A fossil amorphous resin, the composition of which has not been determined.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Goatlike; of or pertaining to a goat or the goats.
  • adjective Of a strong goatish smell.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective of or pertaining to or suggestive of a goat (especially in strong odor)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English hircyne, from Latin hircīnus, from hircus, goat.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

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"). Cognates: French hircin. Compare caprine, haedine.

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Examples

  • These tribades are mostly known by peculiarities of form and features, hairy cheeks and upper lips, gruff voices, hircine odour and the large projecting clitoris with erectile powers known to the Arabs as “bazar” hence Tabzír = circumcision or amputation of such clitoris.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • This odor may be entirely different from that normally emanating from the woman, of an acid or hircine character, and sufficiently strong to remain in a room for a considerable period.

    Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 4 Sexual Selection In Man Havelock Ellis 1899

  • These tribades are mostly known by peculiarities of form and features, hairy cheeks and upper lips, gruff voices, hircine odour and the large projecting clitoris with erectile powers known to the Arabs as

    Arabian nights. English Anonymous 1855

  • It occurs to me to suggest, as a topic of inquiry in this connexion, whether, on that momentous occasion when the goats and the sheep shall be parted, the Constitution and the Honourable Mr. Bagowind, M.C., will be expected to take their places on the left as our hircine vicars.

    The Biglow Papers James Russell Lowell 1855

  • It occurs to me to suggest, as a topic of inquiry in this connection, whether, on that momentous occasion when the goats and the sheep shall be parted, the Constitution and the Honorable Mr. Bagowind, M.C., will be expected to take their places on the left as our hircine vicars.

    The Complete Poetical Works of James Russell Lowell James Russell Lowell 1855

  • That pale Judas face, with scanty, hircine beard, and an expression changing often from spiteful to cunning, could belong only to a Yankee paymaster or commissary, detected in his frauds before he had made up a pile high enough to defy justice; for swindler is not _quite_ safe till he is nearly a "milliner."

    Border and Bastille 1851

  • The landlady saw, calmly put down her work, and coming up, pulled a hircine man or two hither, and pushed a hircine man or two thither, with the impassive countenance of a housewife moving her furniture.

    The Cloister and the Hearth Charles Reade 1849

  • If Miss Jewell includes both caprine and hircine, ought we to add, then, masculine and feminine?

    VERBATIM: The Language Quarterly Vol IV No 1 1977

  • "dullness" which many modern readers inevitably feel, and some modern blockheads think it creditable to allege, in Scott, consists not a little in his absolute purity from every loathsome element or excitement of the lower passions; so that people who live habitually in Satyric or hircine conditions of thought find him as insipid as they would a picture of Angelico's.

    On the Old Road, Vol. 2 (of 2) A Collection of Miscellaneous Essays and Articles on Art and Literature John Ruskin 1859

  • Herr Urian to give you a hircine metamorphosis, Clarian? "

    The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 05, No. 32, June, 1860 Various

Comments

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  • Does anyone know if it's 'hir-kine' or 'hir-sine' or 'hir-seen'?

    August 3, 2009

  • I'm sure one of the dictionaries linked to the icons above could help you out, PU. This is not a word I know. But this is the kind of question that makes me wonder if the social-networking generation (generally speaking) knows how to use reference tools or merely relies on twittered opinion.

    August 3, 2009

  • I'm gonna guess it's "hear-sine" or "hir-sine," since it's in the family of words like ursine and bovine.

    P.S. I love the "fossil resin" tag. Ahh, Wordie...

    August 3, 2009

  • "The landlady saw, calmly put down her work, and coining up, pulled a hircine man or two hither, and pushed a hircine man or two thither, with the impassive countenance of a housewife moving her furniture." Cloister and Hearth, ch. xxiv.

    April 19, 2011

  • There's a pronunciation now--should we ask for chelster's opinion?

    April 19, 2011

  • I need to know. No, I must know!

    What are the 179 characteristics of a goat?

    "From The Century Dictionary.

    Pertaining to or having the 179 characteristics of a goat; like a goat; goatish; especially, having a rank smell like that of a goat."

    January 12, 2022

  • Reminiscent of the 72 names of God in the Kabbalah.

    January 13, 2022