hinny
Term of endearment in Geordie — like "love" or "pet." Used affectionately to friends, family, or strangers.
Seen in the wild
The hinny is distinct from the mule both in [physiology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiology "Physiology") and [temperament](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_in_animals "Personality in animals") as a con…
2. [↑](https://ig.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinny#cite_ref-HunterP_2-0 "Jump up")Hunter(2007)."The silence of genes.
Definitions
Term of endearment in Geordie — like "love" or "pet." Used affectionately to friends, family, or strangers. "Howay, hinny."
"Cheers, hinny."
“The hinny is distinct from the mule both in [physiology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiology "Physiology") and [temperament](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_in_animals "Personality in animals") as a consequence of [genomic imprinting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genomic_imprinting "Genomic imprinting"); it is also less common.”
“2. [↑](https://ig.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinny#cite_ref-HunterP_2-0 "Jump up")Hunter(2007)."The silence of genes.”
Comments
The hybrid offspring of a stallion (male horse) and a she-ass (female donkey).
Hinny is a Northeast English (Geordie) term of endearment, similar to "honey" or "love." Also: a sterile hybrid of a male horse and female donkey (zoology). Not concerning, regional vocabulary. If your kid uses it constantly, ask them where they first heard it, not to police their speech but to understand which online community they are in. Most slang of this kind moves through TikTok and group chats, so seeing it in your child's vocabulary just means they are plugged into normal teen internet culture.
Hinny has two senses: (1) a Northeast English (Geordie) term of endearment meaning honey or love, and (2) a sterile hybrid offspring of a male horse and female donkey. Use the endearment sense in casual British contexts; the zoological sense in scientific contexts. Formal equivalents: "dear," "honey." Common non-native mistake: applying outside Geordie context where it sounds odd. Read or listen to the word in context several times before trying it yourself; the right register is harder to learn than the dictionary meaning.
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
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