# Animal adjectives? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 10, 2024, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633 "2024-10-10T17:06:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/1 "2024-10-10T17:06:15Z")
Following on a thread I started last year to list names of visual patterns: > [@Names for surface patterns?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-for-surface-patterns/993261): > > Plants and animals often include in their name (common or taxonomic) a word that describes the coloration on various parts of their body: reticulated, variegated, serrated, and so on. Tesselated is another such word, used to describe a repeating/regular pattern of shapes. What other words like these are used to describe patterns on surfaces? What are all the animal-specific adjectives? Here are the ones I know: Bear: ursine Pig: porcine Horse: equine Cow: bovine Fish: piscine Goat: caprine Dog: canine Cat: feline Bird: avian (this one’s odd, in that it doesn’t fit the “\*ine” pattern) What else is there? ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/2 "2024-10-10T17:09:16Z")
Sheep: ovine ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/3 "2024-10-10T17:09:20Z")
Wolf: Lupine Sheep: Ovine Deer: Cervine Those are the others I know without looking it up. Fish and bird are odd ones, because they’re referring to huge segments of an animal kingdom, whereas the mammal ones are really specific to a species or genus. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/4 "2024-10-10T17:11:02Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > Sheep: ovine > [@RitterSport](#): > > Wolf: Lupine > Sheep: Ovine > Deer: Cervine I had heard of the wolf and sheep adjectives before (but forgot). The deer one is completely new to me; thanks for posting. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/5 "2024-10-10T17:18:51Z")
Eagle: aquiline Crow: corvine Peacock: pavonine Dove: columbine Fox: vulpine Snake: serpentine Lion: leonine Mouse: murine Goat: caprine Goose: anserine Wasp: vesperine ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/6 "2024-10-10T17:45:44Z")
Asinine: Like a donkey. Cancroid, Cancrine: Both mean crablike. Cephalopodan: Like a squid or octopus. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/7 "2024-10-10T17:50:24Z")
Chicken: galline ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/8 "2024-10-10T18:01:33Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Bird: avian (this one’s odd, in that it doesn’t fit the “\*ine” pattern) Bees: Apian ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/9 "2024-10-10T18:11:09Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Bird: avian (this one’s odd, in that it doesn’t fit the “\*ine” pattern) So is this one. Whale or dolphin is cetacean. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/10 "2024-10-10T18:17:06Z")
I’m a fan of broader categories: Adapted to digging: fossorial Having hooves: ungulate ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/11 "2024-10-10T18:24:55Z")
Saurian - depending on context could be dinosaur, lizard, or crocodile ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/12 "2024-10-10T18:28:14Z")
Rabbit - Leporine ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/13 "2024-10-10T18:38:17Z")
Antelope: Alcelaphine Blackbird or Robin: Turdine _(seems a bit rude)_ Calf: Vituline Dolphine: Delphine Duck: Anatine Frog: Ranine Kangaroo: Macropodine Mite: Acarine Mongoose: Viverrine Otter: Lutrine Owl: Strigine Porcupine: Hystricine Rabbit: Leporine Rhino: Ceratorhine Sea-horse: Hippocampine Seal: Phocine Shrew: Soricine Snake: Colubrine Squirrel: Sciurine Spider: Arachnidan Swan: Cygnine Zebra: Zebrine And some rather obvious ones, not based on a different Latin root: Coral: Coralline Elephant: Elephantine Lemure: Lemurine Owl: Owlish And of course: Horndog: Libertine ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/14 "2024-10-10T19:31:07Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Asinine: Like a donkey. I laughed. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/15 "2024-10-10T19:35:44Z")
It’s one of the actual meanings of the word, even though the other is more common. > **[Definition of ASININE](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/asinine)** > > extremely or utterly foolish or silly; of, relating to, or resembling an ass… See the full definition ---
**Author:** ![EdwardFound](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@EdwardFound](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardFound)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/16 "2024-10-10T21:02:53Z")
or brandy ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/17 "2024-10-10T21:09:56Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > And some rather obvious ones, not based on a different Latin root: > Coral: Coralline > Elephant: Elephantine > Lemure: Lemurine > Owl: Owlish On that note; Giraffe: Giraffine ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2024, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/18 "2024-10-11T08:21:33Z")
Musteline: Badger (also covers polecats, weasels, stoats, skunks, ferrets, otters… Pretty all purpose!) TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2024, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/19 "2024-10-11T14:47:31Z")
Stork - ciconine j ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2024, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633/20 "2024-10-11T20:56:18Z")
mammalian [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633.md?page=2)