mastodon
[ mas-tuh-don ]
/ ˈmæs təˌdɒn /
noun
a massive, elephantlike mammal of the genus Mammut (Mastodon), that flourished worldwide from the Miocene through the Pleistocene epochs and, in North America, into recent times, having long, curved upper tusks and, in the male, short lower tusks.
a person of immense size, power, influence, etc.
Origin of mastodon
1805–15; < New Latin < Greek
mast(ós) breast +
odṓn tooth
OTHER WORDS FROM mastodon
mas·to·don·ic, adjectiveWords nearby mastodon
Example sentences from the Web for mastodon
British Dictionary definitions for mastodon
mastodon
/ (ˈmæstəˌdɒn) /
noun
any extinct elephant-like proboscidean mammal of the genus Mammut (or Mastodon), common in Pliocene times
Derived forms of mastodon
mastodontic, adjectiveWord Origin for mastodon
C19: from New Latin, literally: breast-tooth, referring to the nipple-shaped projections on the teeth
Scientific definitions for mastodon
mastodon
[ măs′tə-dŏn′ ]
Any of several extinct mammals of the genus Mastodon (or Mammut). Mastodons resembled elephants and mammoths except that their molar teeth had conelike cusps rather than parallel ridges for grinding. Like elephants, mastodons had a pair of long, curved tusks growing from their upper jaw, but males also sometimes had a second pair from the lower jaw. Like mammoths, mastodons were covered with hair. They lived from the Oligocene Epoch to the end of the Ice Age.