Hyrax
/ˈhaɪ.ræks/noun
A small, thickset mammal native to Africa and the Middle East, related to elephants and manatees.
Did you know?The word comes through Greek from a Semitic source, and in the Bible the Hebrew term often translated as “coney” or “rock badger” refers to this same animal.
Etymological Timeline
Semitic source
Semitic
ḥîrākon / ḥyraḵ-
“A name for the rock-dwelling animal, probably borrowed into Greek”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ὕραξ (hýrax)
“A hyrax, especially the rock hyrax”
Late Latin
Latin
hyrax
“A hyrax”
18th Century
English
hyrax
“A hyrax; the modern zoological term”
Modern English
English
hyrax
“Any of several small mammal species of the order Hyracoidea”