mastiff
pronunciation
How to pronounce mastiff in British English:
UK [ˈmæstɪf]
How to pronounce mastiff in American English:
US [ ˈmæstɪf]
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- Noun:
- an old breed of powerful deep-chested smooth-coated dog used chiefly as a watchdog and guard dog
Word Origin
- mastiff
- mastiff: [14] Despite its rather fierce reputation, a mastiff may etymologically be a ‘tamed’ dog, a dog ‘accustomed to the hand’. The word seems to have come into the language as an alteration of Old French mastin, which was a descendant of the Vulgar Latin *mānsuētīnus ‘tame’. This in turn went back to Latin mānsuūtus, a compound adjective based on manus ‘hand’ and suēscere ‘accustom’.=> manual
- mastiff (n.)
- large, powerful breed of dog, early 14c., from Old French mastin "great cur, mastiff" (Modern French mâtin) or Provençal mastis, both from Vulgar Latin *mansuetinus "domesticated, tame," from Latin mansuetus "tame, gentle" (see mansuetude). Probably originally meaning a dog that stays in the house, thus a guard-dog or watchdog. Form in English perhaps influenced by Old French mestif "mongrel."
Example
- 1. Hercules is an english mastiff and has a 38 inch neck and weighs 282 pounds .
- 2. Last week a tibetan mastiff was flown into xian airport in central china , where it received a welcome fit for an emperor .
- 3. Tibetan mastiff it is the topmost of all the 10 most expensive dog breeds in the world . It is estimated to cost around $ 350000 , a whooping price in comparison to the pricing of other dog breeds .
- 4. I have six dogs , two small ones at home one maltese and one small jersey and then we have a big mastiff and three dogs for hunting .
- 5. It is true that back in 2001 , joe flynn , the owner of a 282-pound english mastiff named hercules ( see photo ) , was told by the guinness world records folks that his was the world 's " heaviest " dog at the time .