spitz

noun

: a member of any of several breeds of stocky heavy-coated dogs of northern origin with erect ears and usually a heavily furred tail carried over the back

Illustration of spitz

Illustration of spitz

Examples of spitz in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Tatum and Dewan added rescue dog Lulu (a pit bull Catahoula mix) and Meeka (a miniature Japanese spitz) to their family to make their tribe a party of four. Brooke Showell, Peoplemag, 1 Oct. 2022 There will also be a photograph of the dog Chester, a German spitz who often lounged by the door at the previous location; Chester is alive and well, a spokesman said, but not permitted by health regulations now that food is being sold. New York Times, 6 June 2021 Earlier this month, a woman handed over a fox to a Chinese zoo after raising it as a Japanese spitz for nearly a year. Elaina Zachos, National Geographic, 16 May 2018 Sad as this tale is, the stray husky-spitz mix became a part of history as the first living creature to orbit the Earth. Alice George, Smithsonian, 12 Apr. 2018 Spitz broke NCAA champion Cindy Tran’s meet record in the backstroke with a lifetime-best 54.16 and won the 100 free in a meet-record and county-leading 49.64. Dan Albano, Orange County Register, 5 May 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'spitz.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

German, from spitz pointed, from Old High German spizzi; from the shape of its ears and muzzle — more at spit

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spitz was in 1842

Dictionary Entries Near spitz

Cite this Entry

“Spitz.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spitz. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

spitz

noun
: a member of any of several breeds of heavy-coated dogs with ears standing straight up and a tail curled over the back

More from Merriam-Webster on spitz

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