Rhodesian ridgeback

noun

1. 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.

Rhodesian ridgeback

/ ˈrɪdʒˌbæk /

noun

1. 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Rhodesian ridgeback¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

A spring break road trip with your Rhodesian Ridgeback riding shotgun, as David Jefferson recently learned.

From The Daily Beast