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Glite Dictionary
cairn terrier

cairn terrier

1 6.9
A small dog with rough fur from Scotland that is lively and brave
  • noun
  • /ˈkɛrn ˈtɛrɪər/
translation icon : cairn terrier
  • The cairn terrier is known for its playful personality.

Examples

  • Despite its small size, a cairn terrier is energetic and loves chasing after small animals.

  • Their rough coat makes the cairn terrier well suited to Scotland's harsh weather.

  • The cairn terrier is famous for its role as Toto in 'The Wizard of Oz.'

  • My friend has a cairn terrier named Max.

  • My friend adopted a cairn terrier that loves to play in the garden.

  • The cairn terrier barked excitedly at the mailman passing by.

  • As a cairn terrier, she is known for her playful and inquisitive nature.

Synonyms

cairn (Cairn Terrier)
vscairn terrier
8.0

A small dog with rough fur from Scotland that is lively and alert

is an identical term presented in a slightly different written form

Surface Forms

cairn terrier singular
cairn terriers plural

Morphology

cairn + terrier

This is a straightforward noun-noun compound: if a learner knows 'cairn' (a pile of stones) and 'terrier' (a small dog), they can infer it denotes a terrier associated with cairns or stony places — i.e., a specific small breed from such environments. The meaning is compositionally derived from its parts and follows a common place/type naming pattern, so it is transparent to learners who know the constituents.

Etymology

Cairn terrier comes from Scotland. A cairn is a pile of stones and these small terriers hunted animals like rats and rabbits among those stone piles, so the name came to mean a 'small, brave' working dog.