canine

[ key-nahyn ]
See synonyms for: caninecanines on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. of or like a dog; relating to or characteristic of dogs: canine loyalty.

  2. Anatomy, Zoology. of or relating to the four pointed teeth, especially prominent in dogs, situated one on each side of each jaw, next to the incisors.

noun
  1. a canid, or member of the dog family Canidae.

  2. a dog.

  1. a canine tooth; cuspid.

Origin of canine

1
1350–1400; Middle English canine canine tooth (<Middle French ) <Latin canīnus, equivalent to can(is) dog + -īnus-ine1

Other words from canine

  • ca·nin·i·ty [key-nin-i-tee], /keɪˈnɪn ɪ ti/, noun
  • su·per·ca·nine, adjective, noun

Words Nearby canine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use canine in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for canine

canine

/ (ˈkeɪnaɪn, ˈkæn-) /


adjective
  1. of or resembling a dog; doglike

  2. of, relating to, or belonging to the Canidae, a family of mammals, including dogs, jackals, wolves, and foxes, typically having a bushy tail, erect ears, and a long muzzle: order Carnivora (carnivores)

  1. of or relating to any of the four teeth, two in each jaw, situated between the incisors and the premolars

nounalso: canid (ˈkænɪd)
  1. any animal of the family Canidae

  2. a canine tooth

Origin of canine

1
C17: from Latin canīnus, from canis dog

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

Scientific definitions for canine

canine

[ nīn ]


Adjective
  1. Characteristic of or resembling dogs, wolves, or related animals.

  2. Relating to any of the four pointed teeth located behind the incisors in most mammals. In carnivores, the canine teeth are adapted for cutting and tearing meat.

Noun
  1. A canine tooth.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.