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canid

American

[kan-id, kay-nid] / ˈkæn ɪd, ˈkeɪ nɪd /

noun

any animal of the dog family Canidae, including the wolves, jackals, hyenas, coyotes, foxes, and domestic dogs.

canid Scientific

/ kăn′ĭd,kā′nĭd /

Any of various carnivorous mammals of the family Canidae, which includes the dogs, wolves, foxes, coyotes, and jackals.

Etymology

Origin of canid

1885–90; < New Latin Canidae, equivalent to Can ( is ) a genus, including the dog and wolf ( Latin: dog) + -idae -id ²

Explanation

Canids are a family of mammals that include wolves, foxes, and jackals. Even if a pet Chihuahua is small enough to fit in a tote bag, it's still a canid. The word canid is just a scientific way to say "dog." All dog-like animals fall into this category, and every canid can be traced back to a common ancestor — from dingoes and coyotes to the goofy Golden retriever that sneaks onto your bed every night. Canid is from the Modern Latin Canidae and a root word meaning "dog."

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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.

See Examples For:

canid

DNA analysis of two canid bones confirmed the animals were wolves rather than early dogs, with no signs of dog ancestry.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 29, 2025

This means that an afflicted human could change from human to monstrous canid and back again every two hours, staying in wolf form for a full hour at a time.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 27, 2023

“They have been here for a very, very, very long time, long before us,” says Stalls, who studied canid ecology in college and sports a wolf tattoo on her left arm.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 3, 2023

On the morning of July 6, Michelle Harris saw a huge canid with yellow eyes dash across a fire road lined with charred snags and giant sequoias blackened by recent wildfires.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2023

A weathered, posterior part of a canid skull was found in dunes at Camp 2 on July 10, and a partial left mandible was taken on the beach at Camp 1 on July 6.

From Vertebrates from the Barrier Island of Tamaulipas, M?xico by Richard F. Johnston

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023