cynegetic

cyn·e·get·ic
C3Y4N1E1G2E1T1I1C3
UK/ˌsɪniːˈd͡ʒɛtɪk/US/ˌsɪniˈd͡ʒɛtɪk/

adjective

Of or relating to hunting (especially with dogs).

Scrabble 17

Meanings

adjectivecynegetic (comparative more cynegetic, superlative most cynegetic)

comparative more cynegetic · superlative most cynegetic

  1. rarehobbiesOf or relating to hunting (especially with dogs).

    Hail Oppian, prime of cynegetic race, / From Maro [i.e., Virgil] dovvn to him vvho ſounds the Chace: […]

    1763, James Elphinston, “Book the Third”, in Education, in Four Books, London: […] P[aul] Vaillant, […]; W[illiam] Owen, […]; and J. Richardson, […], →OCLC, page 88, lines 430–431
    5 more examples

    Give me the hippic—the philippic taste, / All else a wilderness, and man a waste; / Give me the turf, and cynegetic sport, / The zeal, the jealousy, and zest of court; […]

    1836, The Tribunal of Manners, a Satyricon, London: J[ames] Ridgway and Sons, […], →OCLC, page 58

    The Roman authors, especially the cynegetic poets, have given descriptions of the different British dogs; the Scotch terrier is accurately described by Oppian; and Irish wolf dogs were brought to Rome about the fourth century.

    1836 November 9, John Scouler, “Remarks on the Natural History of the Fossil Elk”, in Journal of the Geological Society of Dublin, volume I, number [III], Dublin: […] P[hilip] Dixon Hardy [for the Geological Society of Dublin], […], published 1838, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 200

    But as there are no lions, wolves, nor wild boars in Great Britain, he [the poet James Thomson] admonishes the British youth to indulge their cynegetic propensities in the fox-chase, which he describes con amore [with love].

    1838, William H[amilton] Drummond, “Man’s Right to Hunting and Fishing”, in The Rights of Animals, and Man’s Obligation to Treat Them with Humanity, London: John Mardon, […]; Smallfield and Son, and Green, […]; Dublin: Hodges and Smith, →OCLC, page 36

    "Come, Diana [a dog]," said he; "come, my girl! thou whose destiny will be marked in the cynegetic annals; […] thou who art rushing into interplanetary space, and wilt perhaps be the Eve of all Selenite dogs! come, Diana, come here."

    1873, Jules Verne, “Round the Moon: A Sequel to From the Earth to the Moon. Chapter III. Their Place of Shelter.”, in Louis Mercier [i.e., Lewis Page Mercier], Eleanor E[lizabeth] King, transl., From the Earth to the Moon, Direct in Ninety-seven Hours and Twenty Minutes: And a Trip Round It. […], New York, N.Y.: Scribner, Armstrong & Company, published 1874, →OCLC, page 170

    The cynegetic life is authentic because it is close to the philosophical center of human life. It constantly contrasts two central mysteries: the nature of the animal and of death. These are brought together in hunting.

    1973, Paul Shepard, “Hunting as a Way of Life”, in The Tender Carnivore and the Sacred Game, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →ISBN, page 259

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekκῠνηγετῐκός
  2. Englishcynegetic

PIE word *ḱwṓ Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek κῠνηγετῐκός (kŭnēgetĭkós), from κυνηγέτης (kunēgétēs, “hunter”) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’ forming adjectives); and κυνηγέτης (kunēgétēs) from κύων (kúōn, “dog”) + ἡγέτης (hēgétēs, “leader”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek κῠνηγετῐκός
  • κῠνηγετῐκός (kŭnēgetĭkós)of or relating to hunting
Catalan cinegètic
  • cinegèticof or relating to hunting
Finnish metsästys-
  • metsästys-of or relating to hunting
French cynégétique
  • cynégétiqueof or relating to hunting
Greek κυνηγετικός
  • κυνηγετικός (kynigetikós)of or relating to hunting
Norwegian Bokmål jaktlig
  • jaktligof or relating to hunting
Polish łowiecki
  • łowieckiof or relating to hunting
Portuguese cinegético
  • cinegéticoof or relating to hunting
Spanish cinegético
  • cinegéticoof or relating to hunting

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with cynegetic

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

cynegetic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cynegetic

MLA

“cynegetic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cynegetic. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cynegetic,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cynegetic.

Source: cynegetic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.