porcine

adjective

por·​cine ˈpȯr-ˌsīn How to pronounce porcine (audio)
: of, relating to, or suggesting swine : piggish

Did you know?

Pigs are rarely given credit for their high intelligence or their friendliness as pets, but instead are mocked for their habit of cooling themselves in mud puddles and the aggressive way they often go after food. While porcine isn't as negative a term as swinish, it may describe things that are fat, greedy, pushy, or generally piggish—but primarily fat. Porky Pig and Miss Piggy aren't particularly porcine in their behavior, only in their appearance—that is, pink and pudgy.

Examples of porcine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Doctors have been using porcine heart valves to replace damaged ones in humans since the 1960s. Bill Sullivan, The Conversation, 5 June 2020 On the health front (and on the pig front again) my stomach churned at the idea that many baby vaccines contain a porcine carrier. Aneesa Bodiat, New York Times, 12 May 2020 This is consistent with experimental studies of porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV). Quanta Magazine, 29 Apr. 2020 The eatery, which reopens Friday in Philly's Fishtown neighborhood, doesn’t look special, other than the prominent chalk menu board and a notable focus on porcine decorations, including the signature Romulus and Remus art. Larry Olmsted, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2020 See all Example Sentences for porcine 

Word History

Etymology

Latin porcinus, from porcus pig — more at farrow

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of porcine was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near porcine

Cite this Entry

“Porcine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/porcine. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

porcine

adjective
por·​cine ˈpȯr-ˌsīn How to pronounce porcine (audio)
: of or derived from swine
porcine heterografts
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!