mastodon

American  

[mas-tuh-don] / ˈmæs təˌdɒn /

noun

1. a massive, elephantlike mammal of the genus Mammut (Mastodon ), that flourished worldwide from the Miocene through the Pleistocene epochs and, in North America, into recent times, having long, curved upper tusks and, in the male, short lower tusks.

2. a person of immense size, power, influence, etc.

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mastodon British  

/ ˈmæstəˌdɒn /

noun

1. any extinct elephant-like proboscidean mammal of the genus Mammut (or Mastodon ), common in Pliocene times

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mastodon Scientific  

/ măs′tə-dŏn′ /

1. Any of several extinct mammals of the genus Mastodon (or Mammut). Mastodons resembled elephants and mammoths except that their molar teeth had conelike cusps rather than parallel ridges for grinding. Like elephants, mastodons had a pair of long, curved tusks growing from their upper jaw, but males also sometimes had a second pair from the lower jaw. Like mammoths, mastodons were covered with hair. They lived from the Oligocene Epoch to the end of the Ice Age.

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Other Word Forms

• mastodonic
  adjective
• mastodontic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of mastodon

1805–15; < New Latin < Greek mast ( ós ) breast + odṓn tooth

Compare meaning

How does mastodon compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• mastodon vs. mammoth

Explanation

Imagine a shaggy, elephant-like giant lumbering through ancient forests — that was the mastodon, complete with curving tusks and a sturdy build that was perfect for thriving in the Ice Age. Mastodons were the heavyweights of the Ice Age, co-existing with early humans and mammoths. While they resembled today's elephants, mastodons had some unique features: longer bodies, shorter legs, and straighter tusks. They roamed the dense forests of North America, Europe, and Asia, munching on leaves and shrubs suited to their cone-shaped teeth. These incredible beasts ambled across the Earth until about 10,000 years ago. Scientists study mastodon fossils to learn more about their lifestyles and the environments they inhabited, unlocking secrets of the past.

Example Sentences

Researchers in Costa Rica have unearthed fossils from a mastodon and a giant sloth that lived as many as 40,000 years ago, officials announced Friday, calling it the biggest such find here in decades.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

It turned out to be something far rarer, Lundberg said: a large section of tusk from a long-extinct mastodon.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 6, 2024

“There are answers out there,” said Joshua Miller, a University of Cincinnati paleoecologist who was not involved in the new study but who has cut open a mastodon tusk in Indiana.

From New York Times • Jan. 17, 2024

“I practically hit the floor. It was a mastodon tooth, right in the same area where we know mastodons lived in Santa Cruz County,” the adviser, Wayne Thompson, told San Francisco’s KRON-TV.

From Washington Times • Jun. 2, 2023

These were not mastodon and mammoth hunters—both species were already extinct.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• boar