Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Hyena \Hy*e"na\, n.; pl. {Hyenas}. [L. hyaena, Gr. ?, orig., a
   sow, but usually, a Libyan wild beast, prob., the hyena, fr.
   ? hog: cf. F. hy[`e]ne. See {Sow} female hog.] (Zo["o]l.)
   Any carnivorous mammal of the family {Hy[ae]nid[ae]}, of
   which three living species are known. They are large and
   strong, but cowardly. They feed chiefly on carrion, and are
   nocturnal in their habits. [Written also {hy[ae]na}.]

   Note: The striped hyena ({Hy[ae]na striata}) inhabits
         Southern Asia and a large part of Africa. The brown
         hyena ({H. brunnea}), and the spotted hyena ({Crocuta
         maculata}), are found in Southern Africa. The extinct
         cave hyena ({H. spel[ae]a}) inhabited England and
         France.

   {Cave hyena}. See under {Cave}.

   {Hyena dog} (Zo["o]l.), a South African canine animal
      ({Lycaon venaticus}), which hunts in packs, chiefly at
      night. It is smaller than the common wolf, with very
      large, erect ears, and a bushy tail. Its color is reddish
      or yellowish brown, blotched with black and white. Called
      also {hunting dog}.

Source : WordNet®

hyena dog
     n : a powerful doglike mammal of southern and eastern Africa
         that hunts in large packs; now rare in settled area [syn:
          {African hunting dog}, {Cape hunting dog}, {Lycaon
         pictus}]