Dalmatian

American  

[dal-mey-shuhn] / dælˈmeɪ ʃən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Dalmatia or its people.

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noun

1. an inhabitant of Dalmatia, especially a member of the native Slavic-speaking people of Dalmatia.

2. Also called Dalmatian dog.  Also called coach dog.  one of a breed of short-haired dogs having a white coat marked with black or brown spots.

3. a Romance language of Dalmatia, extinct since 1898.

Dalmatian British  

/ dælˈmeɪʃən /

noun

1. Also called (esp formerly): carriage dog.   coach dog.  a large breed of dog having a short smooth white coat with black or (in liver-spotted dalmatians) brown spots

2. a native or inhabitant of Dalmatia

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adjective

1. of or relating to Dalmatia or its inhabitants

Etymology

Origin of Dalmatian

First recorded in 1575–85; Dalmati(a) + -an

Example Sentences

This is not a preying tiger in the Indian jungle - but a happily mooching Dalmatian dog in Dagnam Park, Romford, unknowingly closing in on a days-old fallow deer fawn.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

Furthermore, the collecting location in Podgora is not in close proximity to a port, and during the Yugoslavian era, the traffic in Dalmatian ports was rather limited.

From Science Daily • Nov. 13, 2023

I might have told you that there is a Dalmatian dog in the image, but you have to reconstruct it yourself to really experience the "aha."

From Salon • Oct. 21, 2023

Mila, Green’s 6-year-old daughter, ran by holding a plush toy from the Adopt Your Own Dalmatian station.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 17, 2023

The Dalmatian fern, with its dappled fronds and alert bearing.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood