Looking for animal words

December 11, 2018 2:56 PM

Can you think of words that essentially mean "like or of [type of animal], without containing the name of that animal itself? For example, "murine" for mouse-like. More examples below:

cervine - deer
colubrine - snakes
aquiline - eagles
lupine - wolves
vulpine - foxes

For the most parts these words seem to be based on the Latin word for the animal, though I'm not looking for only Latin-based words. A word like "mulish" doesn't count because it contains the name of the animal itself. "Serpentine" would be on the border, because no one really calls snakes serpents anymore, but serpent more or less still just means snake in English.

posted by dadaclonefly to Writing & Language (15 answers total)

Equine
posted by suelac at 2:57 PM on December 11, 2018 [1 favorite]

Ursine
posted by teremala at 2:59 PM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

Feline

Canine

I think if you look at the family and subfamily for certain species you'll get more examples.
posted by Hermione Granger at 2:59 PM on December 11, 2018

Musteline
posted by ckridge at 3:02 PM on December 11, 2018 [3 favorites]

leonine - lion
piscine - fish
posted by LobsterMitten at 3:03 PM on December 11, 2018

Bovine-cows
Ovine-sheep
posted by exceptinsects at 3:04 PM on December 11, 2018

Bovine
posted by The Bellman at 3:04 PM on December 11, 2018

Best answer: Here's a fairly long list... you'll have to filter through for the ones that sound too much like the animal, but that leaves a lot left:

acarine - mite, tick
accipitrine - bird: hawk, falcon, or bird of prey
acipenserine - sturgeon
aedine - mosquito (genus Aëdes)
alaudine - bird: skylark
alcelaphine - antelope
alcidine - bird: auk, puffin, or murre
alectorine - crane
anatine - duck, mallard
anguilline - snake
anguine - snake
anopheline - mosquito (genus Anopheles)
anserine - goose
antilopine - antelope
apian - bee
apiarian - bee
aquiline - eagle
arctian - moth
arietine - ram
asinine - ass
aspine - snake, asp
atherine - smelt
avian, avine - bird
basilicine - basilisk lizard
batrachian - toad
bisontine - bison
bobovine - gaur
bombycine - silkworm
bovine - cow, ox
bubaline - antelope, buffalo, hartebeast
bufotenine - toad
buteonine - buzzard
caballine - horse
cameline - camel
cancrine - crab
canine - dog
capreoline - roebuck
caprine - goat (without connotation of smell; see also hircine)
cathartine - vulture, buzzard
cebine - capuchin monkey
ceratorhine - rhinoceros
cercopithecine - monkey
cervine - deer, elk, moose, stag
charadrine - plover, snipe, woodcock
chelonian - tortoise, turtle
ciconine - stork
clathrine - primitive sponge
colubrine - snake: gartersnake, king snake
columbine - dove
coralline - coral
corvine - crow, raven, jackdaw, jay, magpie
coturnine - quail
cricetine - hamster, gerbil
crocodiline - crocodile
crotaline - rattlesnake
cuculine - cuckoo
culicine - mosquito (genus Culex)
cygnine - swan
cyprine - carp
cypseline - swift
dacelonine - kingfisher
dasyproctine - agouti
dasyurine - dasyure
delphine - dolphin
didelphine - opposum
didine - dodo
dinornithine - moa
draconine - dragon
elaphine - stag, deer
elapine - snake: cobra, coral snake, mamba
elephantine - elephant
emberizine - bird: bunting, sparrow
equine - horse
eusuchian - alligator
falconine - falcon, hawk, kestrel
feline - cat
formicine - ant
fringilline - finch
fulicine - coot
fuliguline - eider, sea duck
gadine - cod
galline - chicken
garruline - jay or magpie
gazelline - gazelle
giraffine - giraffe
glirine - rodent
gruine - crane
halcyonine - kingfisher
herpestine - mongoose
hippocampine - seahorse
hippopotamine - hippopotamus
hippotigrine - zebra
hircine - goat (with connotation of smell; see also caprine
hirudine - leech
hirundine - swallow, martin
homarine - lobster
hominine - human
hyenine - hyena
hylobatine - gibbon
hyracine - hyrax
hystricine - porcupine
ibidine - ibis
icterine - bird: blackbird, oriole, meadowlark
lacertian, lacertine - lizard
lacertilian - lizard
lapine - rabbit
laridine - gull
larine - gull
lemurine - lemur
leonine - lion
leporine - hare, rabbit
limacine - slug
lumbricine - earthworm
lupine - wolf
lutrine - otter
lyncine - lynx
macropine - kangaroo
macropodine - kangaroo, wallaby
manatine - manatee
megacerine - megaceros
megacerotine - megaceros
megapterine - humpback whale
megatherine - giant ground sloth
meleagrine - turkey
meline - badger
mephitine - skunk
microtine - lemming, vole
milvine - kite
mimine - mockingbird
monadine - monad, flagellated protozoan
moschine - musk deer
murine - mouse, rat
muscicapine - bird: flycatcher
musteline - ermine (or stoat), ferret, badger, martin, mink, otter, polecat, skunk, weasel
myoxine - dormouse
myrmecine - ant
myrmecophagine - anteater
nestorine - kaka or kea
noctilionine - bat
octopine - octopus
odobenine - walrus
oniscine - songbird
ophidian - snake
orygine - oryx
oscine - bird: songbird; also, bird song
ostracine - oyster
otarine - sea lion, seal
ovibovine - musk ox
ovine - sheep
pandionine - osprey
panorpine - scorpion fly
pantherine - panther
paradoxurine - palm-cat, palm-civet
pardine - leopard
parine - tit, titmouse
passerine - sparrow / perching bird
patelline - limpet
pavonine - peacock
pediculine - louse
penduline - bird: titmouse
percesocine - barracuda
percine - perch
perdicine - partridge
phalacrocoracine - cormorant
phalangine - phalanger
phascolomian - wombat
phasianine - pheasant
philomelian - nightingale
phocaenine - porpoise
phocine - seal
picine - woodpecker
pieridine - butterfly
pierine - butterfly
piscine - fish
porcine - pig
procyonine - raccoon
psittacine - parrot, parakeet, macaw
pteropine - flying fox, bat
pulicine - flea
pullastrine - pigeon
pyrrhuline - bullfinch
pyrrhuloxine - bunting, cardinal
pythonine - python
ralline - rail
rangiferine - caribou, reindeer
ranine - frog
reptilian - reptile, snake
rhinerocerine - rhinoceros
rucervine - indian swamp deer
rupicaprine - chamois
sabelline - sable
salamandrine - salamander
saurian - lizard (suborder Sauria includes lizards; in older classifications, it also included crocodiles and dinosaurs)
sciurine - squirrel
scolopacine - snipe, woodcock
serpentine - serpent, reptile, snake
simian - monkey
sittine - nuthatch
soricine - shrew
sphingine - hawkmoth, sphinx
sphinxine - sphinx
strigine - owl
struthionine - ostrich, emu, rhea
sturnine - swallow, starling
suilline - pig, hog
suine - swine
sylphine - sylph
sylvicoline - warbler
talpine - mole
taurine - bull, ox
termitine - termite
testudine - tortoise
tetraonine - grouse
tigrine - tiger
tolypeutine - armadillo
trigine - sandpiper
trochilidine - hummingbird
trochiline - hummingbird
troglodytine - wren
turdine - thrush, bluebird, robin
ursine - bear
vaccine - cow
vermian - worm
vespine - hornet, wasp
viperine - snake, viper
vituline - calf
viverrine - civet, mongoose
volucrine - bird
vulpine - fox
vulturine - vulture
zebrine - zebra
zibeline - sable
posted by brainmouse at 3:04 PM on December 11, 2018 [41 favorites]

Corvine
posted by ckridge at 3:04 PM on December 11, 2018

Anthropoid.
posted by ckridge at 3:18 PM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

Vermicular, Lagomorphic.
posted by nomis at 3:44 PM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]

Another catagory would be using the name of an individual as proxy. For instance "like Felix" to mean like a cat. Or, "he was as happy as Bowser with a bone".
posted by SemiSalt at 4:00 PM on December 11, 2018

Capricious. (My personal favorite, because I’m a lawyer and it comes up in a legal standard relevant to my practice. “Okay, what we have to establish here was that the state agency wasn’t acting like a goat.”)
posted by LizardBreath at 4:13 PM on December 11, 2018 [11 favorites]

Ophidian

Arachnoid
Pithecoid
Ophiuroid
Cyprinoid
posted by ckridge at 4:41 PM on December 11, 2018 [1 favorite]

I knew that Lovecraft has some of these.

Batrachian

Chelonian
posted by ckridge at 4:57 PM on December 11, 2018 [2 favorites]