Mastiff

English

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Etymology

An aberrant derivation from Old French mastin (modern French mâtin), from Vulgar Latin *mansuetīnus (“tamed (animal)”), from Latin mansuetus (“tamed”).

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈmæstɪf/ (US, UK)

Noun

Mastiff (plural Mastiffs)

1. One of several large breeds of dog (such as bulldogs and Saint Bernards), often used as guard dogs
   • 1605: William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act III, Scene VI

     Avaunt, you curs! Be thy mouth or black or white, Tooth that poisons if it bite; Mastiff, greyhound, mongrel grim, Hound or spaniel, brach or him.

   • 1922, Virginia Woolf, Jacob's Room, Vintage Classics, paperback edition, page 98

     A mastiff lay extended against a battered door.

Hypernyms

• molosser

Translations

mastiff

Afrikaans: waghond (af), slagtershond (af), kettinghond (af) Dutch: mastiff (nl) Finnish: mastiffi (fi) French: dogue (fr) m. German: Dogge (de) f. Hebrew: מסטיף (he) (mastiff) m. Hungarian: masztiff (hu) Italian: mastino (it) m.

Japanese: マスチフ (ja) (masuchifu), マスティフ (ja) (masutifu) m. Latin: canis villaticus (la) m., canis Anglicus (la) m. Lithuanian: mastifas (lt) m. Old English: ryþþa (ang) m., roþhund (ang) m. Russian: дог (ru) (dog) m. Spanish: mastín (es) m., alano (es) m. Volapük: (male or female) doeg (vo), (male) hidoeg (vo), (female) jidoeg (vo), (male or female offspring) doegül (vo), (young male offspring) hidoegül (vo), (young female offspring) jidoegül (vo)

fr:mastiff