canine
noun · adjective
Simple meaning
The pointy tooth between the incisors and the premolars.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kaynynSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkeɪnaɪn
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
In heterodont mammals, the pointy tooth between the incisors and the premolars; a cuspid.
Any member of Caninae, the only living subfamily of Canidae.
Any of various fissiped mammals with nonretractile claws and typically long muzzles
One of the four pointed conical teeth (two in each jaw) located between the incisors and the premolars
formal
Any of certain extant canids regarded as similar to the dog or wolf (including coyotes, jackals, etc.) but distinguished from the vulpines, which are regarded as fox-like.
adjective
Of, or pertaining to, a dog or dogs.
Dog-like.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Any member of Caninae, the only living subfamily of Canidae.
Used this way, canine is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- canid , rarer, so it draws attention
- dogtooth , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use canine
- “The veterinarian checked the dog's canine teeth during its annual examination.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Chorea in dogs.
A viral disease of young dogs characterized by high fever and respiratory inflammation.
One of the four pointed conical teeth (two in each jaw) located between the incisors and the premolars.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: in heterodont mammals
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.