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fauna

 - 7 dictionary results

fau⋅na

  [faw-nuh]
Use fauna in a Sentence
–noun, plural -nas, -nae  [-nee] .
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.
3. (initial capital letter) Roman Religion. Bona Dea.
Origin:
1765–75; < NL, special use of L Fauna, a feminine counterpart to Faunus; cf. Flora

Related forms:
faunal, adjective
fau⋅nal⋅ly, adverb

Bo⋅na De⋅a

  [boh-nuh dee-uh, dey-uh]
–noun
an ancient Roman goddess of chastity and fertility.
Also called Fauna.

Origin:
< L: lit., (the) Good Goddess
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To fauna
fau·na   (fô'nə)   
n.   pl. fau·nas or fau·nae (-nē')

  1. (used with a sing. or pl. verb) Animals, especially the animals of a particular region or period, considered as a group.

  2. A catalog of the animals of a specific region or period.


[Late Latin Fauna, sister of Faunus.]
fau'nal adj., fau'nal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

fauna [(faw-nuh)]

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

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

fauna 
1771, collective name for animals of a certain region or time, from L.L. Fauna, a Roman fertility goddess, wife, sister, or daughter (or some combination thereof) of Faunus. Popularized by Linnaeus (1707-78), who adopted it as a companion word to flora and used it in the title of his 1746 catalogue of the animals of Sweden, "Fauna Suecica." First used in Eng. by naturalist Gilbert White.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: fau·na
Pronunciation: 'fon-&, 'fän-
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural faunas also fau·nae /-"E, -"I/
: animal life; especially : the animals characteristic of a region, period, or special environment —compare FLORA —fau·nal /-&l/ adjective —fau·nal·ly /-&l-E/ adverb
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

fauna fau·na (fô'nə)
n. pl. fau·nas or fau·nae (-nē')
Animals, especially the animals of a particular region or period, considered as a group.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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