hind

¹ American  

[hahynd] / haɪnd /

adjective

1. situated in the rear or at the back; posterior.

   the hind legs of an animal.

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hind ² American  

[hahynd] / haɪnd /

noun

plural

hinds,

plural

hind

1. Zoology. the female of the deer, chiefly the red deer, especially in and after the third year.

2. any of several speckled serranid fishes of the genus Epinephelus, found in the warmer waters of the western Atlantic Ocean.

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hind ³ American  

[hahynd] / haɪnd /

noun

1. a peasant or rustic.

2. Scot. and North England. a farm laborer.

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Hind ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. Hindustani.

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Hind. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. Hindi.

2. Hindu.

3. Hindustan.

4. Hindustani.

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Hind. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. Hindi

2. Hindu

3. Hindustan

4. Hindustani

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hind ² British  

/ haɪnd /

noun

1. a simple peasant

2. (in N Britain) a skilled farm worker

3. a steward

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hind ³ British  

/ haɪnd /

noun

1. the female of the deer, esp the red deer when aged three years or more

2. any of several marine serranid fishes of the genus Epinephelus, closely related and similar to the gropers

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hind ⁴ British  

/ haɪnd /

adjective

1. (prenominal) (esp of parts of the body) situated at the back or rear

   a hind leg

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Related Words

See back ¹.

Etymology

Origin of hind¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English hinde, hint (adjective) “hind, rear, back,” shortening of bihinde(n) (adverb) “in the rear, in back,” from Old English behindan (preposition and adverb) “behind; from behind, at the back”; cognate with German hinten; behind, hinder ²

Origin of hind²

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch hinde, Old Norse, Danish, Swedish hind, Old High German hinta ( German, Low German Hinde )

Origin of hind³

First recorded before 1000; alteration of Middle English hine “a household, servants (collectively), a servant,” probably from Old English (Anglian) hīne, hī(g)na, genitive of hīgan (equivalent to West Saxon hīwan “members of a household, domestics”); hide ³

Example Sentences

At the time of the eclipse, the moon will be in the constellation Leo, under the lion’s hind paws.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

They unearthed a skull, fragments of the hind legs and several crests.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

“The IRS is really on its hind heels here.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 16, 2026

Unlike the forefoot, which makes contact with the ground only through its hooves, the hind feet also included a fleshy heel pad behind the hooves.

From Science Daily • Nov. 30, 2025

I felt like a tightrope walker, balancing the urge to hurry out of the cutting wind and the need to step carefully so as not to fall on my hind regions.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson