Mastyf

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A large, powerful dog breed with a heavy build, a broad head and a short muzzle, often kept as a guard dog
2. An archaic spelling of mastiff, meaning a massive, muscular dog breed known for strength and loyalty
3. A huge, heavily built domestic dog of an old English breed, used historically for guarding property and hunting

Etymology: Latin "mansuetus" meant "tamed" or "gentle." It was formed from "manus," hand, and "suetus," accustomed, so it described an animal used to being handled. Through Late Latin it passed into Old French as "mastin," a name for a large guard dog, and from there into Middle English, where spellings such as "mastif" and "mastyf" were common. The double f became the standard English spelling, and "mastyf" survives as an older variant. Italian "mastino" and Spanish "mastín" come from the same Latin source, so the name spread across Europe as a term for a heavy, watchful dog. The English word is therefore a relative of its continental counterparts, all descended from a Latin adjective about being tame.