Definitions
an old breed of powerful deep-chested smooth-coated dog used chiefly as a watchdog and guard dog
Word origin
From Middle English mastif, mastyf, an aberrant derivation (with influence from Old French mestif) from Old French mastin (modern French mâtin), from Vulgar Latin *mansuetinus (“tamed (animal)”), from Latin mansuetus (“tamed”).
Used in a sentence
“Avaunt, you curs! Be thy mouth or black or white, Tooth that poisons if it bite; Mastiff, greyhound, mongrel grim, Hound or spaniel, brach or him.”
“Soon as Ulyſſes near th’encloſure drew, / With open mouths the furious maſtives flew: […]”
“The Mastiff is a good fighter, and can kill a wildcat, taking the necessary punishment well, as we found out when we once trapped one of these small lynxes.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Large guard dog”7 letters
Not quite right?
"Search similar patterns."
M______