monkey dog
- noun
- /ˈmʌŋki dɔɡ/
:
perro mono
- The monkey dog is known for its playful nature and distinctive appearance.
Examples
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She adopted a monkey dog because she liked its expressive face.
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At the dog show, the monkey dog attracted a lot of attention from the judges.
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The monkey dog is known for its playful nature.
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Have you ever seen a monkey dog?
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At the dog show, the monkey dog attracted a lot of attention from the judges.
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She adopted a monkey dog because she liked its expressive face.
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The monkey dog is known for its playful nature and distinctive appearance.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A small lively dog with dark wiry hair and a monkey-like face
A small European dog like a terrier with rough dark fur and a short furry face
How Small
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is clearly built from 'monkey' + 'dog', so a B1 learner who knows both words would likely infer it denotes a kind of dog with monkey-like qualities (appearance or behaviour). However, because it refers to a specific breed (Affenpinscher) with particular physical traits, the precise referent and details are not fully predictable from the constituents alone.
Etymology
Monkey dog comes from the old German name Affenpinscher, where 'Affen' means 'monkey' because these small dogs have a face that looks a little like a monkey. So the words monkey and dog point to the dog's monkey-like look, which is why the name means this small, lively type of dog.