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prettygoodwordhemione - n., the Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus).
More commonly called onager. The Mongolian subspecies is also called chigetai or dziggetai (from Mongolian chikitei, literally, with ears/eared -- which, indeed, is a notable feature of asses). Onager is ultimately, via Latin and Anglo-Norman French, from ancient Greek ónagros, wild ass, from ónos, ass + ágrios, wild, while hemione itself is directly from ancient Greek hēmíonos, half ass/mule -- apparently because it more closely resembles a mule than the African "true" ass does? Whatevs.
And that's the last aminal for now -- back next week with the usual unsorted vocabulary heap.
---L.
More commonly called onager. The Mongolian subspecies is also called chigetai or dziggetai (from Mongolian chikitei, literally, with ears/eared -- which, indeed, is a notable feature of asses). Onager is ultimately, via Latin and Anglo-Norman French, from ancient Greek ónagros, wild ass, from ónos, ass + ágrios, wild, while hemione itself is directly from ancient Greek hēmíonos, half ass/mule -- apparently because it more closely resembles a mule than the African "true" ass does? Whatevs.
And that's the last aminal for now -- back next week with the usual unsorted vocabulary heap.
---L.
