Dalmatian

[ dal-mey-shuhn ]

adjective

1. of or relating to Dalmatia or its people.

noun

1. an inhabitant of Dalmatia, especially a member of the native Slavic-speaking people of Dalmatia.
2. Also called coach dog,. one of a breed of short-haired dogs having a white coat marked with black or brown spots.
3. a Romance language of Dalmatia, extinct since 1898.

Dalmatian

/ dælˈmeɪʃən /

noun

1. Also called (esp formerly)carriage dogcoach dog a large breed of dog having a short smooth white coat with black or (in liver-spotted dalmatians) brown spots
2. a native or inhabitant of Dalmatia

adjective

1. of or relating to Dalmatia or its inhabitants

Word History and Origins

Origin of Dalmatian¹

First recorded in 1575–85; Dalmati(a) + -an

Example Sentences

The actress, who is currently starring in the stage musical 101 Dalmatians, was asked if she was surprised to hear the allegations levelled at Di Prima, to which she responded: “Yeah.”

From BBC

Two layered discs carved out of Dalmatian jasper support a pink-hued thulite bowl; the materials were selected by the brand’s gemologists and cut and polished by lapidaries to bring out their full character.

From New York Times

Ms Lyle described how several times Jonathan Creswell beat her so badly it left her looking "like a Dalmatian" because of the amount of bruises on her body.

From BBC

A woman had bought a Dalmatian from a breeder, and she did not like the way it was behaving around her children.

From Seattle Times

Tutti built Sunset Sound for that purpose and eventually recorded audio there for a number of Disney classics, including “101 Dalmatians” and “Mary Poppins.”

From Los Angeles Times