Lesson 12
Animal World
bovine-an ox, cow, or related animal; having oxlike qualities; slow, dull, stupid, or stolid.
equine-a horse; of, like, or a characteristic of a horse.
feline-a member of the family that includes lions, tigers, jaguars, and wild and domestic cats; resembling or suggestive of a cat, as in suppleness, slyness, treachery, or stealthiness
hircine-of or characteristic of a goat, especially in strong odor or lustfulness. Pan, the god of woods, fields, and flocks, had a human torso with goat's legs, horns, and ears. He is often represented as frightening the nymphs in the forest.
leonine-of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a lion. Like Felix the cat and Bossie the cow, Leo the lion takes his name from the original Latin.
lupine-wolflike; rapacious or ravenous
ophidian-snakelike; a snake or serpent
ovine-designating sheep or sheeplike; an ovine animal
piscine-of, pertaining to, or typical of a fish or fishes. Pisces, the twelfth sign of the zodiac, is also called “the fish.”
porcine-of or pertaining to swine or pigs; piglike. The cartoon character Porky the Pig derives his name from the Latin porcus, pig.
saurian-of or having the characteristics of lizards; a lizard. The names of the prehistoric animals, like the dinosaur and the brontosaur, used combining forms with the Greek root saurios (“lizard”).
taurine-of or resembling a bull. The second sign of the zodiac is Taurus the bull.
ursine-of or characteristic of a bear. The constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, popularly called the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, appeared to be ancients to have the outlines of a “Great Bear” and a “Little Bear.”
vixen-a female fox, a quarrelsome shrewish or malicious woman. Vixen can be used as an ajective.
vulpine-of, resembling, or characteristic of a fox; clever, devious, or cunning. The famous play Volpone, or The Fox, was an early seventeenth-century drama by Ben Jonson.
Exercises
I. Which Word Comes to Mind?
In each of the following, read the statement, then circle the word that comes to mind.
Carmen signs to her lover before he enters the arena
(bovine, saurian, taurine)
The sour-grapes fable
(equine, vulpine, leonine)
Little Bo Peep
(vixen, ovine, feline)
A lady-killer
(lupine, ophidian, porcine)
Sure-footed mountain climber
(ursine, piscine, hircine)
The Adam and Eve story
(vixen, ovine, ophidian)
The Kentucky Derby
(feline, equine, porcine)
Meow
(hircine, feline, saurian)
MGM movies start with the lion's roar
(leonine, ursine, piscine)
In 1996 Great Britain had to deal with “mad cow” disease
(ovine, vulpine, bovine)
II. True or False?
In the space provided, indicate whether each statement is true or false.
____ 1. Ophidians and saurians had much in common
____2. Both lions and tigers can be described as leonine.
____3. Horse racing would be impossible without equines.
____4. An aquarium would house many ursine creatures.
____5. A bovine and taurine animal make a natural pair.
____6. Overeaters are often described as porcine.
____7. Because Lou loved dogs, he received an award from the Feline Society of America.
____8. Hircine milk is taken from brown cows only.
____9. The actor who starred as a vampire was given a lupine appearance.
____10. We rely on our ovine animals for warm woolen garments.
III. Find the Imposter
Find and circle the one world one each line that is not related to the other three.
1. equity equine equerry equestrian
2. ephemeral fleeting feline transient
3. shrew vexing virago vixen
4. bullish matador terrain taurine
5. anger finny piscine angular