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, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for mastodonic

British Dictionary definitions for mastodonic

mastodon
/ (ˈmæstəˌdɒn) /

noun

any extinct elephant-like proboscidean mammal of the genus Mammut (or Mastodon), common in Pliocene times

Derived forms of mastodon

mastodontic, adjective

Word Origin for mastodon

C19: from New Latin, literally: breast-tooth, referring to the nipple-shaped projections on the teeth

Scientific definitions for mastodonic

mastodon
[ măstə-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.