Word: dog Part of Speech: noun Etymology: Etymology tree Old English [Term?]? Proto-Germanic *-gô Proto-West Germanic *-gō Old English -ga Old English dogga Middle English dogge English dog Inherited from Middle English dogge (akin to Scots dug), from Old English dogga, docga, of uncertain origin. The original meaning seems to have been a common dog, as opposed to a well-bred one, or something like 'cur', and perhaps later came to be used for stocky dogs. Possibly a pet-form diminutive with suffix -ga (compare frocga (“frog”), *picga (“pig”)), appended to a base *dog-, *doc- of unclear origin and meaning. One possibility is Old English dox (“dark, swarthy”) (compare frocga from frox). Another proposal is that it derives from Proto-West Germanic *dugan (“to be suitable”), the origin of Old English dugan (“to be good, worthy, useful”), English dow, Dutch deugen, German taugen. The theory goes that it could have been an epithet for dogs, commonly used by children, meaning "good/useful animal". Another one is that it is related to *docce (“stock, muscle”), from Proto-West Germanic *dokkā (“round mass, ball, muscle, doll”), whence English dock (“stumpy tail”). In 14th-century England, hound (from Old English hund) was the general word for all domestic canines, and dog referred to a subtype resembling the modern mastiff and bulldog. By the 16th century, dog had become the general word, and hound had begun to refer only to breeds used for hunting. In the 16th century, the word dog was adopted by several continental European languages as their word for mastiff. Despite similarities in forms and meaning, it is not related to Mbabaram dog. Pronunciation: /dɒɡ/, /dɔɡ/, /dɑɡ/, [dɔ(ː)ɡ] 1. A mammal of the family Canidae: Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The dog barked all night long. Example: […] I beg again to state, in my humility, that I am Only a Dog. Such a little dog too. […] I am very white, very woolly, very pretty indeed; covered all over with snowy curls, and having two bright black eyes and a black shiny tip to my nose like patent leather. 2. A mammal of the family Canidae: Labels: countable, uncountable Example: This includes the development of hyena-like bone crushers (Osteoborus and Borophagus), a large bone-crushing hunting dog (Aelurodon), and another borophagine frugivorous dog (Carpocyon). 3. A mammal of the family Canidae: Labels: attributive, countable, often, uncountable Example: Entirely disregarding sex, Ch. Searchlight has a beautiful Cocker head, but as he is a dog, his head is too fine and far too much upon the bitchy order. Example: Firstly, he was there to encourage and assist the hounds (a scratch pack – mostly dog-hounds drafted from fox-hound kennels because they were over-sized) […] 4. The meat of this animal, eaten as food. Labels: rare, uncountable Example: Did you know that they eat dog in parts of Asia? 5. A person: Labels: countable, derogatory, figuratively, slang, uncountable Example: She’s a real dog. 6. A person: Labels: countable, figuratively, slang, uncountable Example: You lucky dog! 7. A person: Labels: countable, derogatory, figuratively, uncountable Example: Come back and fight, you dogs! Example: You dirty dog. 8. A person: Labels: countable, figuratively, slang, uncountable Example: DJ Paul is a dog; one you do not trust. 9. A mechanical device or support: Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Whenever possible, let the tree support the weight of the chainsaw. Pivot the saw, using the saw's dogs (spikes) as a fulcrum. 10. A mechanical device or support: Labels: countable, uncountable 11. A mechanical device or support: Labels: countable, uncountable Example: The dogs were too hot to touch. Example: In the great old-fashioned fireplace behind the high iron dogs a log-fire crackled and snapped. 12. A mechanical device or support: Labels: countable, historical, uncountable 13. The eighteenth Lenormand card. Labels: countable, uncountable 14. A hot dog: a frankfurter, wiener, or similar sausage; or a sandwich made from this. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Congressmen gleefully wolfed down every imaginable version of the hot dog – smoked kielbasas, jumbo grillers, Big & Juicy's, kosher dogs and spiced dogs […] 15. An underdog. Labels: countable, slang, uncountable 16. Foot; toe. Labels: countable, in-plural, slang, uncountable Example: My dogs are barking! Example: You look good in those shoes with your dogs out! 17. (from "dog and bone") Phone or mobile phone. Labels: Cockney, countable, slang, uncountable Example: My dog is dead. 18. One of the cones used to divide up a racetrack when training horses. Labels: countable, uncountable 19. Something that performs poorly. Labels: countable, informal, uncountable Example: He gives his dog-Mota or dog-Fiji in exchange for Pigeon English. Example: That modification turned his Dodge hemi into a dog. 20. Something that performs poorly. Labels: countable, informal, uncountable Example: Blue was released, and as Redford had predicted, it was a dog. Example: "When The Alamo was coming out, the word of mouth on it was that it was a dog," Chase said. 21. A cock, as of a gun. Labels: archaic, countable, uncountable Example: To this succeeded the Snaplance ^([sic]), in which a motion was given to the dog, or cock, and a movable plate of steel, called the frizel, or hammer, was placed vertically above the pan to receive the action of the flint. 22. A dance having a brief vogue in the 1960s in which the actions of a dog were mimicked. Labels: countable, uncountable Example: Hmm, see the girl with the red dress on She can do the dog all night long. Example: Just like the dog but not so low Like the hully gully but not so slow Now baby swim, baby do the swim.