Italian greyhound
1
4.5
- noun
- /ɪˈtæljən ˈɡreɪˌhaʊnd/
:
galgo italiano
You, you know, you cross a Italian greyhound with like a, you know, a Shih Tzu, right?
- You, you know, you cross a Italian greyhound with like a, you know, a Shih Tzu, right?
Examples
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That's how this Italian greyhound called Jimmy ran.
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Lady Liberty is a purebred Italian greyhound.
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You, you know, you cross a Italian greyhound with like a, you know, a Shih Tzu, right?
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She carried the tiny Italian greyhound puppy in her arms and grabbed some towels from the clothes dryer, which she placed in an empty cardboard box, and then bent down to put the little animal inside.
Fiction book (1993) -
Just as the Pomeranian and Italian greyhound have gone the way of the dodo while the railroad, hot air balloon, and telegraph have become the stuff of legend, the entirety of modern literature has disappeared.
Academic text (2018) -
She carried her tiny Italian greyhound puppy in her arms, cradling it gently as they strolled through the park.
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At the dog show, the Italian greyhound caught everyone's attention with its slender build and graceful movements.
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Many families adore Italian greyhounds for their affectionate nature and elegant appearance.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase 'Italian greyhound' is a straightforward adjective + noun combination: 'Italian' (from Italy) modifying 'greyhound' (a dog breed), so a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it denotes a type of greyhound associated with Italy. This compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows regular nominal modification, making the meaning readily predictable from its parts.
Etymology
Italian greyhound may come from old times when people in Italy kept a small, elegant version of the bigger greyhound as a pet. That's why the name means 'a small, graceful dog like a greyhound' today.