mara

noun

1. 1

   A nightmare; a spectre or wraith-like creature in Germanic and particularly Scandinavian folklore; a female demon who torments people in sleep by crouching on their chests or stomachs, or by causing terrifying visions.

   The corpus of related texts tells us that within rural society it was not improbable for your neighbour's envy of your fine cattle to take the form of a mara.

noun

1. 1

   A type of god that prevents accomplishment or success.

2. 2

   Any malicious or evil spirit.

noun

1. 1

   Any caviid rodent of the genus Dolichotis, common in the Patagonian steppes of Argentina.

   Maras have a white patch of fur on the rump that they flash when running, an adaptation they share with several species of deer and antelopes.

   Although only Dolichotis, the Patagonian mara, is strongly cursorial, all caviids have certain features typical of cursorial mammals[…].

   Maras (Dolichotis patagonum) are cursorial and prefer open areas with low vegetation for breeding and more barren sites for construction of communal dens (Taber and Macdonald 1992; Baldi 2007).

noun

1. 1

   A Latin American criminal gang.

Forms

plural

maras