fauna

[ faw-nuh ]
See synonyms for fauna on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural fau·nas, fau·nae [faw-nee]. /ˈfɔ ni/.
  1. the animals of a given region or period considered as a whole.

  2. a treatise on the animals of a given region or period.

  1. (initial capital letter)Roman Religion. Bona Dea.

Origin of fauna

1
1765–75; <New Latin, special use of Latin Fauna, a feminine counterpart to Faunus; cf. Flora

Other words from fauna

  • faunal, adjective
  • fau·nal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for fauna

fauna

/ (ˈfɔːnə) /


nounplural -nas or -nae (-niː)
  1. all the animal life of a given place or time, esp when distinguished from the plant life (flora)

  2. a descriptive list of such animals

Origin of fauna

1
C18: from New Latin, from Late Latin Fauna a goddess, sister of Faunus

Derived forms of fauna

  • faunal, adjective
  • faunally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for fauna

fauna

[ ]


Plural faunas faunae (nē′)
  1. The animals of a particular region or time period.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for fauna

fauna

[ (faw-nuh) ]


Animals, especially the animals of a particular place and time.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.