faun

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   in Roman mythology and later art, a rustic nature spirit represented as partly human and partly goat

   The sculpture depicts a laughing faun carrying a reed pipe.

2. 2
   noun

   a butterfly of the Asian genus Faunis

   The naturalist identified the brown faun by the eyespots on its wings.

From Middle English fawn and Latin Faunus, the name of an ancient Roman god of woods, fields, and flocks. Later poets and artists used faun for one of a class of rustic spirits, often blending their appearance with that of Greek satyrs.

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