German shepherd

[ jur-muhn shep-erd ]

noun

1. one of a breed of large shepherd dogs having a coat ranging in color from gray to brindled, black-and-tan, or black, used especially in police work and as a guide for the blind.

German shepherd

noun

1. another name for Alsatian

Word History and Origins

Origin of German shepherd¹

1930–35; shepherd probably as translation of German Schäferhund

Example Sentences

Sendak's lumbering German Shepherd, Herman—named after Melville—was snoring at our feet.

From The Daily Beast