Houyhnhnm
/huˈɪn.əm/
Houyhnhnm noun: one of a fictional race of exceptionally civilized creatures, who look exactly like horses, inhabiting the same land as the brutish Yahoos.
Noun
Houyhnhnm (plural Houyhnhnms)
- One of a fictional race of exceptionally civilized creatures, who look exactly like horses, inhabiting the same land as the brutish Yahoos.
- I retain in my Mind the Lectures and Example of my noble Maſter and the other illuſtrious Houyhnhnms of whom I had ſo long the Honour to be an humble Hearer.1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Author’s Veracity. His Design in Publishing this Work. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume II, London...
- "The Squire says you know a good deal about horses, so I suppose you understand the Houyhnhnm language? I'm learning it, and it is very nice," laughed Miss Celia, as Chevalita gave a little whinny and snuffled her nose into Ben's pocket.1878, Louisa May Alcott, chapter 7, in Under the Lilacs
Houyhnhnm meaning in Tamil
Houyhnhnm in Tamil
- கற்பனைக் குதிரை
Forms of Houyhnhnm
| plural | Houyhnhnms |
|---|
Origin of Houyhnhnm
Coined by Jonathan Swift in Gulliver's Travels as a humorous, onomatopoeic play on the sound made by horses.
Questions about Houyhnhnm
- What does Houyhnhnm mean?
- Houyhnhnm means one of a fictional race of exceptionally civilized creatures, who look exactly like horses, inhabiting the same land as the brutish Yahoos.
- What is Houyhnhnm in Tamil?
- Houyhnhnm in Tamil is கற்பனைக் குதிரை. See Houyhnhnm meaning in Tamil.
- What part of speech is Houyhnhnm?
- Houyhnhnm is a noun.
- How do you pronounce Houyhnhnm?
- Houyhnhnm is pronounced /huˈɪn.əm/.
- What is the plural of Houyhnhnm?
- The plural of Houyhnhnm is Houyhnhnms.
Words near Houyhnhnm in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Houyhnhnm (page history and authors); Houyhnhnm (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Houyhnhnm.wav.
Cite this entry: “Houyhnhnm.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/houyhnhnm. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.