Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A dog of a large powerful breed developed in England as a guard dog, having a large head, short black muzzle, and short often fawn-colored coat.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A variety of dog of considerable antiquity.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) A breed of large dogs noted for strength and courage. There are various strains, differing in form and color, and characteristic of different countries.
- noun (Zoöl.) , any bat of the genus Molossus; so called because the face somewhat resembles that of a mastiff.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun One of several
large breeds ofdog (such asbulldogs andSaint Bernards ), often used asguard dogs
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an old breed of powerful deep-chested smooth-coated dog used chiefly as a watchdog and guard dog
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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At the call the mastiff came up and looked inquiringly at his master.
The Mansion of Mystery Being a Certain Case of Importance, Taken from the Note-book of Adam Adams, Investigator and Detective Chester K. Steele
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A masty [mastiff] is handsomer to me than the most exact little dog that ever lady played withal.
Letters from Dorothy Osborne to Sir William Temple (1652-54) 1888
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"And a magnificent animal he is!" remarked my grandfather; "but although a mastiff is the largest of dogs, I do not think it is as sensible as many others."
The Elson Readers, Book 5 Christine M. Keck
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The mastiff is a large, grave, sullen-looking dog, with a wide chest, noble head, long switch tail, bright eyes, and a loud, deep voice.
Chatterbox Stories of Natural History Anonymous
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"And a magnificent specimen he is!" remarked my grandfather; "but although a mastiff is the largest and most imposing of the race, I do not think it is as sensible as many others."
The Junior Classics — Volume 8 Animal and Nature Stories William Patten 1902
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She never had any children, and was not taxed with debauchery: "No man can say or affirm that ever she had a sweetheart or any such fond thing to dally with her;" a mastiff was the only living thing she cared for.
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 Sexual Inversion Havelock Ellis 1899
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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.
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The teeth -- those great friends of the closet naturalist, which help him to whole pages of speculation -- have enabled him to separate the beaver from the musquash, although the whole history and habits of these creatures prove them to be congeners, as much as a mastiff is the congener of a greyhound -- indeed, far more.
The Hunters' Feast Conversations Around the Camp Fire Mayne Reid 1850
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I certainly do not recall a mastiff attack on anyone in living memory, mainly because whilst they are huge dogs they are rare, normally gentle and require considerable funds to keep.
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And I certainly do not recall a mastiff attack on anyone in living memory, mainly because whilst they are huge dogs they are rare, normally gentle and require considerable funds to keep.
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