Dalmatian

1 of 2

noun

Dal·​ma·​tian dal-ˈmā-shən 

plural Dalmatians

1

or less commonly dalmatian : any of a breed of medium-sized dogs having a white short-haired coat with many black or brown spots

2

: a native or inhabitant of Dalmatia

3

: a Romance language developed from colloquial Latin and extinct by the late 19th century that was spoken on the Dalmatian coast and Adriatic islands

Illustration of Dalmatian

• dalmatian 1

Dalmatian

2 of 2

adjective

: of or relating to Dalmatia (a region of the western Balkan Peninsula on the Adriatic Sea) or its people

Word History

Etymology

Noun

(sense 1) from the supposed origin of the breed in Dalmatia

First Known Use

Noun

1581, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

circa 1684, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Dalmatian

• ablation
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation
• collation

Kids Definition

dalmatian

noun

dal·​ma·​tian dal-ˈmā-shən 

often capitalized

: any of a breed of dogs that have a white short-haired coat with many black or brown spots