sabre-toothed
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective: * Having long, curved upper canine teeth that resemble sabers (a type of curved sword). This term is almost exclusively used to describe extinct prehistoric mammals.
Usage
The adjective "sabre-toothed" (also spelled "saber-toothed") is used attributively, meaning it is placed directly before a noun to describe it. It is a scientific and descriptive term.
Examples
- The sabre-toothed cat was a formidable predator of the Pleistocene epoch.
- Fossils of sabre-toothed tigers have been found on several continents.
- Paleontologists study the hunting techniques of sabre-toothed predators.
Advanced Usage
- The term can be used in a metaphorical, though rare, sense to describe something with a fierce or sharp quality.
- The critic delivered his review with sabre-toothed ferocity.
Variants and Related Words
- Saber-toothed (adj): The American English spelling variant.
- Sabretooth / Sabertooth (n): A common shortening used as a noun to refer to the animals themselves (e.g., "a sabretooth").
- Machairodont (n/adj): The formal scientific name for the group of sabre-toothed cats.
Synonyms
- Scimitar-toothed (a less common synonym using a different type of curved sword).
- Long-fanged (a more general descriptive term).
Related Phrases and Compounds
- Sabre-toothed tiger: The most common popular name, though it is not a true tiger.
- Sabre-toothed cat: A more accurate general term for the felid predators like .
- Sabre-toothed predator: A broader term that can include non-feline species, such as the marsupial .
Adjective
- having teeth that resemble sabers
- a saber-toothed tiger