Canine

How to spell canine

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce canine

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does canine mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to or characteristic of dogs.
2. nounA dog, especially when referred to in a formal or technical context.
3. nounA pointed tooth located between the incisors and the premolars.

Canine in a sentence

• adjective

  The rescue centre specialises in canine behaviour and training.

• noun

  The police canine tracked the suspect across the field.

• noun

  The dentist noted that one canine was slightly chipped.

• adjective

  A vet must understand canine nutrition before recommending a diet.

• noun

  Each canine in the unit completes months of scent training.

• noun

  Each upper canine helps tear food before it is chewed.

Where does canine come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word comes from the Latin caninus, meaning 'of or relating to a dog', which was formed from canis, the ordinary Latin word for 'dog'. English adopted it through Old French in the late Middle Ages, at first in anatomy to name the pointed tooth that resembles a dog's fang. From the 1600s onward it broadened into a general adjective for anything to do with dogs, and later served as a slightly formal noun for a dog itself, the sense familiar from police 'canine units'. The same canis root sits inside the constellation name Canis Major, home to the 'Dog Star' Sirius, and survives in the Spanish can and Italian cane. The spelling trap is the quiet -ine ending, which is pronounced to rhyme with 'mine' here but appears in many words where it is reduced to a faint 'in', so writers must remember the full -ine.

How the word is built

• can- (from Latin canis: dog)
• -ine (adjective suffix: relating to or resembling)