caníbal

human flesh-eater

1 / 1

A large northern pike swallowing a smaller northern pike headfirst, with the smaller fish's matching patterned body and tail still visible.

noun / adjective

cannibal

KAN-uh-buhl/ˈkænɪbl/

A person or animal that eats members of its own species, or involving such eating.

Etymology

cannibalSpanishhuman flesh-eater

Spanish caníbal turned a form of the Carib people's name into a label for a human flesh-eater, reflecting European beliefs about them. The meaning later widened to animals that eat their own kind.

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Related word entries

cannibal