Canaan dog

noun

: any of a breed of medium-sized, square-bodied dogs developed in Israel from pariah dogs of the Negev desert region and having a short, straight, harsh coat and a bushy tail

There are 2,000 to 3,000 Canaan dogs across the world, but most are closely related. If the gene pool is not continually strengthened with new bloodlines from the wild, experts say, the breed could develop degenerative diseases.

—Nicolas Brulliard

Word History

Etymology

Canaan (region of ancient Palestine); translation of New Hebrew kelebh kĕnaʽanī

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above