Word of the Day: Canine
canine
ca-nine / kā-nīn
adjective
1. about, resembling or pertaining to dogs
A dog is not almost-human, and I know of no greater insult to the canine race than to describe it as such.
John Holmes, 1944 – 1988
2. pertaining to one of the four pointed, conical teeth located next to the incisors in the upper and lower jaws
Because these tearing teeth are well developed in the dog they have come to be known as canine teeth.
“The Meaning of Evolution” by Samuel Christian Schmucker, 1860 – 1943
noun
1. a member of the animal family Canidae, which includes dogs, wolves, foxes, coyotes, etc.; a canid
Canines are native to every continent except Antarctica and Australia, where the dingo was introduced by humans.
“Canines (Canids)”, ‘National Geographic’, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/canines-canids, accessed August 24, 2022
2. a dog
You will discover 3 trustworthy mates, an aged wife, an aged canine, and ready dollars.
Benjamin Franklin, 1706 – 1790
3. one of the four pointed, conical teeth located next to the incisors in the upper and lower jaws, also called cuspid
An ugly-looking man, a hunch-backed human savage to all appearance, squatting in the aperture of one of the dens, would stretch his arms and yawn, showing with startling suddenness scissor-edged incisors and sabre-like canines, keen and brilliant as knives.
From “The Island of Doctor Moreau” by H. G. Wells, 1866 – 1943
