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Glite Dictionary
Belgian shepherd

Belgian shepherd

3.2
A strong active dog from Belgium used for herding and police work
  • noun
  • /ˈbɛldʒən ˈʃɛpərd/
translation icon : pastor belga
  • Breed: Belgian Shepherd Dog.

Examples

  • In the aftermath of 9/11, retired NYPD officer Steve Smaldon was called to Ground Zero with Hansen, a 7-year-old Belgian Shepherd Dog.

    Blog text (12)

  • My friend has a Belgian shepherd that is incredibly friendly and eager to please.

  • During the competition, the Belgian shepherd demonstrated impressive agility and intelligence.

  • The trainer praised the Belgian shepherd for its quick learning abilities and strong work ethic.

Synonyms

Belgian sheepdog
vsBelgian shepherd
4.5

A strong, intelligent dog from Belgium that herds sheep and helps in jobs like police or rescue

is the same meaning but labels it explicitly as a working dog

Surface Forms

Belgian shepherd singular
Belgian shepherds plural

Morphology

Belgian + shepherd

The concept 'a herding dog/breed associated with Belgium' is directly derivable from combining 'Belgian' (from Belgium) with 'shepherd' (one who herds sheep or a type of herding dog). This country-adjective + role/breed composition is a transparent, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Belgian shepherd comes from Belgium and the word shepherd, because breeders there made a smart dog to guide and guard sheep. Imagine a strong, clever dog helping a farmer to 'herd' sheep, and that image explains why the name now means a hardy working dog often used on farms and by police.