n.
Pronunciation: ' mas-t ə - ˌ dän, -d ə n
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin mastodont-, mastodon, from Greek mastos + odont-, od ō n, odous tooth ― more at TOOTH
Date: 1811
1 : any of various extinct mammals (genus Mammut syn. Mastodon ) of the elephant family existing from the Miocene through the Pleistocene that are distinguished from the related mammoths chiefly by molar teeth with cone-shaped cusps
2 : one that is unusually large
– mas · to · don · ic \ ˌ mas-t ə - ' dä-nik \ adjective
– mas · to · dont \ ' mas-t ə - ˌ dänt \ adjective or noun