Canis
/Λka.nis/noun
A Latin word meaning "dog," also used in scientific names for the dog family and the constellation Canis.
Did you know?The Latin canis gave us the astronomical names **Canis Major** and **Canis Minor**, literally the "greater" and "lesser" dogs in the sky, showing how ancient language mapped animals onto the heavens.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
k3w53-
βthe ancestral root for "dog"β
Latin
Latin
canis
βdogβ
Classical Latin
Latin
Canis
βthe Dog Star/constellation name and later a scientific genus nameβ
Modern English
English
canine
βrelating to dogs; a dog-like mammalβ
Modern English
English
Canis
βthe genus name for dogs, wolves, and related speciesβ