I. ˈdȯg sometimes ˈdäg noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English dog, dogge, from Old English docga
1.
a. : a carnivorous mammal ( Canis familiaris ) of the family Canidae that has been kept in a domesticated state by man since prehistoric times, is undoubtedly descended from some unknown wild member of the genus Canis possibly the common wolf, varies in its artificially produced breeds far more than any other mammal (as in form, size, color, and length and character of coat), and is kept chiefly for sporting use or as a guard or companion or especially formerly for light draft and other labor ; broadly : any animal of the family Canidae
b. : a male dog — opposed to bitch
2.
a. : a mean worthless fellow : cur , wretch , rascal
dog of an unbeliever — Sir Walter Scott
b. : a sportive or roguish fellow : bird , chap
a gay old dog
c. : fellow — used with a qualifying adj.
a lazy dog
a very sad dog
3. : any of various usually simple mechanical devices for holding, gripping, or fastening something: as
a. : any of various devices consisting essentially of a spike, rod, or bar of metal with a ring, hook, claw, or lug at the end used in various ways (as by driving or embedding in an object or hooking to an object)
b. : either of the hooks of a pair of sling dogs
c. : an iron for holding wood in a fireplace : firedog , andiron
d. : a clamp in a lathe for gripping the piece of work and for communicating motion to it from the faceplate
e. : stop , detent , click
f. : a drag for the wheel of a vehicle
g. : a short heavy sharp-pointed steel hook with a ring at one end
h. : a steel projection on a log carriage or on an endless chain that conveys logs into a sawmill
i. : the hammer in a gunlock
4.
a.
(1) : dogfish
(2) : dog salmon
(3) : prairie dog
b.
(1) : sun dog
(2) : water dog 4
(3) : fogbow
c.
(1) : dogshore
(2) : dogwatch
d. : hot dog
5. : ostentatious display : affected stylishness or dignity
there was a lot of dog about the affair
often : dress and behavior not characteristic of or suited to one's station — used especially in the phrase put on the dog
6. : dogskin used as fur
7. dogs plural , slang : feet
8. : something inferior of its kind
you call your agent but the only scripts available are real dogs — Paul Newman
9. dogs plural : ruination , destruction — used with the
it's enough to drive anyone to the dogs
everything is going to the dogs around here
10. : promissory note
11.
a. : a poor investment ; usually : a stock or bond not worth its price
b. : a domestic animal of inferior quality or performance
c. : a sluggish horse or a racehorse that does not do well in competition
d. : a low-grade beef animal
e. : a slow-moving or undesirable piece of merchandise — compare runner
f. : a poor-quality motor vehicle : lemon ; especially : a badly worn used car
g. slang : a woman inferior in looks, character, or accomplishments ; sometimes : prostitute
h. slang : a theatrical or musical flop : a poor, hackneyed, or outmoded presentation
12. usually capitalized : any of certain American Indian peoples: as
a. : cheyenne
b. : fox
13. dogs plural : dog racing
14. : one of the wooden sawhorses placed on a racetrack near the rail when the track is soft to keep horses out of the mud during workouts
[s]dog.jpg[/s] [
dog 1a: 1 pastern, 2 chest, 3 flews, 4 muzzle, 5 stop, 6 occiput, 7 leather, 8 crest, 9 withers, 10 loin, 11 point of rump, 12 hock or tarsus, 13 knee or stifle, 14 brisket, 15 elbow, 16 feathering
]
II. verb
( dogged -gd ; dogged “ ; dogging ; dogs )
transitive verb
1.
a. : to hunt or track like a hound : follow insidiously or indefatigably
she dogged him until he gave in and married her
b. : to chase with a dog
c. : to worry as if by dogs : hound
he was dogged by financial worries
2. : to fasten with a dog — sometimes used with down
a sailor dogged down the hatch
3. South & Midland : damn , darn
well dog my boot
dog it all
intransitive verb
archaic : to follow slavishly or pertinaciously
•
- dog it
- dog the watches
III. adverb
: extremely , very , utterly — often used in combination
dog -poor
dog -tired
dog -lame
IV. adjective
1. : of or for dogs
dog diseases
dog breeders
a dog collar
: canine
2. : male — used chiefly of carnivorous mammals
a dog otter
3. : mongrel , spurious , inferior
dog rhyme
especially : unlike that used by native speakers or writers
dog Latin
dog French
V.
Usage: usually capitalized
— a communications code word for the letter d