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Webster 1913 Edition
Mastiff
Mas′tiff
,Noun.
pl.
Mastiffs
. [Mastives
is irregular and unusual.] [Prob. fr. Prov. E.
masty
, adj., large, n., a great dog, prob. fr. mast
fruit, and hence, lit., fattened with mast. There is perh. confusion with OF. mestif
mongrel; cf. also F. mâtin
mastiff, OF. mastin
.] (Zool.)
A breed of large dogs noted for strength and courage. There are various strains, differing in form and color, and characteristic of different countries.
Mastiff bat
(Zool.)
, any bat of the genus
Molossus
; so called because the face somewhat resembles that of a mastiff.Webster 1828 Edition
Mastiff
M`ASTIFF
,Noun.
plu.
Definition 2024
Mastiff
mastiff
mastiff
See also: Mastiff
English
Alternative forms
Noun
mastiff (plural mastiffs)
- An old breed of powerful, deep-chested, and smooth-coated dog used chiefly as a watchdog and guard dog.
- 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.
- 1896: Theodore Roosevelt, Ranch Life and the Hunting-Trail, The Century Co., chapter 11
- The Mastiff is a good fighter, and can kill a wildcat, taking the necessary punishment well, as we found out when we once trapped one of these small lynxes.
- 1605: William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act III, Scene VI
Hypernyms
- molosser
Translations
mastiff
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