Canidae
/kəˈnaɪdiː/noun
The biological family containing domestic dogs, wolves, foxes, jackals, and other dog-like mammals.
Did you know?The Canary Islands were called the Insulae Canariae—“Islands of Dogs”—by Roman writers, probably because of their association with large dogs or seals.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ḱwṓn
“Dog”
Proto-Italic
Proto-Italic
*kanis
“Dog”
Classical Latin
Latin
canis
“Dog”
Classical Latin
Latin
Canis
“A taxonomic genus name used for dogs and closely related animals”
19th Century
Scientific Latin
Canidae
“The family of dog-like mammals, formed from Canis with the family suffix -idae”
Modern English
English
Canidae
“The biological family of dogs, wolves, foxes, jackals, and related species”