Rhodesian ridgeback

noun

one of a South African breed of medium-sized muscular hunting dogs having a short, glossy, red or tan coat, with a characteristic ridge of hair along the spine consisting of parallel crowns of hair growing in the opposite direction of the rest of the coat, originally developed for hunting lions but now used primarily as a guard dog.

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Also called African lion hound.

Origin of Rhodesian ridgeback

First recorded in 1935–40
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for african lion hound

Rhodesian ridgeback
/ (ˈrɪdʒˌbæk) /

noun

a large short-haired breed of dog characterized by a ridge of hair growing along the back in the opposite direction to the rest of the coat. It was originally a hunting dog from South Africa
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012