the sterile offspring of a female horse and a male donkey, valued as a work animal, having strong muscles, a body shaped like a horse, and donkeylike long ears, small feet, and sure-footedness. Compare hinny 1 .

any hybrid between the donkey and the horse.

Informal . a very stubborn person.

Botany . any sterile hybrid.

Slang . a person paid to carry or transport contraband, esp. drugs, for a smuggler.

a small locomotive used for pulling rail cars, as in a coal yard or on an industrial site, or for towing, as of ships through canal locks.

Also called spinning mule. a machine for spinning cotton or other fibers into yarn and winding the yarn on spindles.

Nautical . a large triangular staysail set between two masts and having its clew set well aft.

Numismatics . a hybrid coin having the obverse of one issue and the reverse of the succeeding issue, or vice versa.

Biology . a hybrid, esp. one between the canary and some other finch.

noun

burro , crossbreed , donkey , hinny , hybrid , jack , jackass , slipper , spinner