canine

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈkeɪnaɪn/ UK /ˈkeɪnaɪn/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
of or like dogs; a pointed tooth between the incisors and premolars

The vet examined the dog's canine teeth.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · of or like dogs; a pointed... dogcuspideyetoothdoglike

Opposites

feline

Word family

Related forms canid

Simplified etymology

Canine entered English in the late Middle English period from Latin canis, “dog.” Canine teeth were so named because they resemble the prominent pointed teeth of dogs.

Etymology

From Latin canīnus ('of a dog'), from canis ('dog'), cognate with Greek kuōn and English hound, all from Proto-Indo-European *kwon-.

canīnus Latin canis Latin *ḱwṓ Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# canine

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈkeɪnaɪn/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkeɪnaɪn/

## Meanings
1. of or like dogs; a pointed tooth between the incisors and premolars

## Examples
- The vet examined the dog's canine teeth.

## Synonyms
- dog
- cuspid
- eyetooth
- doglike

## Antonyms
- feline

## Related Forms
- canid

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: canīnus
- Root: canis
- Root: *ḱwṓ

## Etymology
From Latin canīnus ('of a dog'), from canis ('dog'), cognate with Greek kuōn and English hound, all from Proto-Indo-European *kwon-.

## AI Etymology
Canine comes from Latin canīnus ('of a dog'), from canis ('dog'), cognate with Greek kuōn and English hound, all from Proto-Indo-European *kwon-. The historical trail runs through canīnus in Latin, canis in Latin, and *ḱwṓ in Proto-Indo-European. Used as an adjective and noun, canine now means "of or like dogs; a pointed tooth between the incisors and premolars", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as canid. The result is a borrowed or transmitted form whose modern spelling carries a compact record of its route into English.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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