American mastodont
- noun
- /əˈmɛrɪkən ˈmæstəˌdɒnt/
- US
- The American mastodont roamed the forests of North America during the late Pleistocene era.
Examples
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Fossils of the American mastodont have been unearthed in several states, revealing much about its diet and habitat.
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Scientists debate whether the American mastodont should be classified separately from mammoths.
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The American mastodont roamed the forests of North America.
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Did the American mastodont live during the Ice Age?
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Fossils of the American mastodont have been unearthed in several states, revealing much about its diet and habitat.
-
Scientists debate whether the American mastodont should be classified separately from mammoths.
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The American mastodont roamed the forests of North America during the late Pleistocene era.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A large extinct elephant-like animal with cone-shaped teeth that lived in North America long ago
A large extinct animal like an elephant that lived in North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a mastodont from America' is directly and compositionally derived from 'American' (of the Americas) + 'mastodont' (an extinct mammal). This follows a simple adjective + noun pattern common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
American mastodont gets its name from old words for 'breast' and 'tooth' because its back teeth are large and rounded, like a thick bump. So American mastodont refers to the big, elephant-like animal that lived in North America and is now 'extinct'.