raccoon dog

American  

noun

1. a small wild dog of the genus Nyctereutes, common in Asia, resembling a raccoon in coat and coloration.

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raccoon dog British  

noun

1. a canine mammal, Nyctereutes procyonoides , inhabiting woods and forests near rivers in E Asia. It has long yellowish-brown black-tipped hair and facial markings resembling those of a raccoon

2. Also called: coonhound.  an American breed of dog having a short smooth black coat with tan markings, bred to hunt raccoons

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Etymology

Origin of raccoon dog

First recorded in 1865–70

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

• raccoon dog vs. raccoon

Example Sentences

The researchers dug into the raccoon dog DNA to see if they could have come from southern China, where they might have crossed paths with bats.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 21, 2024

The animal which came up most frequently in the samples was the common raccoon dog.

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2024

In March 2023, scientists announced that genetic material collected from the market showed raccoon dog DNA mixed with COVID-19 in early 2020, data that WHO said should have been publicly shared years before.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 21, 2024

This controversy and the recent dust-up over the discovered-then-deleted-then-recovered raccoon dog DNA from a separate database have prompted calls for transparency from these genetic archives.

From New York Times • Apr. 23, 2023

The raccoon dog DNA doesn’t match any of the currently known farmed animals, suggesting the ones sold at the market may have been wild.

From Scientific American • Apr. 12, 2023