The Great Dane is a German breed of domestic dog known for its large size. The record holder for the tallest dog ever is a Great Dane called Zeus (died September 2014; aged 5), who measured 111.8 cm (44.0 in) from paw to shoulder. The tallest living dog is another Dane named Freddy, measuring 103.5 cm (40.7 in). In the middle of the 16th century, the nobility in many countries of Europe imported strong, long-legged dogs from England, which were descended from crossbreeds between English Mastiffs and Irish Wolfhounds. They were dog hybrids in different sizes and phenotypes with no formal breed. These dogs were called Englische Docke or Englische Tocke – later written and spelled: Dogge – or Englischer Hund in Germany. The name simply meant 'English dog'. Since then, the English word 'dog' has come to be associated with a molossoid dog in Germany and France. These dogs were bred in the courts of German nobility, independent of the English methods, since the start of the 17th century.