canine
Americanadjective
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of or like a dog; relating to or characteristic of dogs.
canine loyalty.
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Anatomy, Zoology. of or relating to the four pointed teeth, especially prominent in dogs, situated one on each side of each jaw, next to the incisors.
noun
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a canid, or member of the dog family Canidae.
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a dog.
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a canine tooth; cuspid.
adjective
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of or resembling a dog; doglike
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of, relating to, or belonging to the Canidae, a family of mammals, including dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes, typically having a bushy tail, erect ears, and a long muzzle: order Carnivora (carnivores)
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of or relating to any of the four teeth, two in each jaw, situated between the incisors and the premolars
noun
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any animal of the family Canidae
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a canine tooth
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Characteristic of or resembling dogs, wolves, or related animals.
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Relating to any of the four pointed teeth located behind the incisors in most mammals. In carnivores, the canine teeth are adapted for cutting and tearing meat.
Other Word Forms
- caninity noun
- supercanine adjective
Etymology
Origin of canine
1350–1400; Middle English canine canine tooth (< Middle French ) < Latin canīnus, equivalent to can ( is ) dog + -īnus -ine 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He was the mayor of the local dog park, mingling with canine constituents and saying hello to their human caretakers, particularly Polly’s, the lady with treats.
Former President Lazarus Chakwera insists the canines, trained to detect weapons, black-magic fetishes and other potential threats, are key members of his security detail.
CEO Masayoshi Son thought he could commercialize Spot, Boston Dynamics’ canine robot, but that had little success.
From Barron's
But she also has a few canine characteristics that soon disappeared — chiefly flapping dog ears, which morphed into hoop earrings by 1932.
From Los Angeles Times
With her windswept head stretched far out the car window, she seemed a canine Gen. Patton scanning the horizon in the race to Messina.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
