Lexic.us

Definition of Mastodon

1. Noun. Extinct elephant-like mammal that flourished worldwide from Miocene through Pleistocene times; differ from mammoths in the form of the molar teeth.

Definition of Mastodon

1. n. An extinct genus of mammals closely allied to the elephant, but having less complex molar teeth, and often a pair of lower, as well as upper, tusks, which are incisor teeth. The species were mostly larger than elephants, and their remains occur in nearly all parts of the world in deposits ranging from Miocene to late Quaternary time.

Definition of Mastodon

1. Noun. A nickname for both the 4-8-0 and (though incorrectly) the 4-10-0 train configurations. ¹

2. Noun. Extinct elephant-like mammal of the genus ''Mammut'' that flourished worldwide from Miocene through Pleistocene times; differs from elephants and mammoths in the form of the molar teeth. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Mastodon

1. an extinct elephant-like mammal [n -S]

Medical Definition of Mastodon

1. An extinct genus of mammals closely allied to the elephant, but having less complex molar teeth, and often a pair of lower, as well as upper, tusks, which are incisor teeth. The species were mostly larger than elephants, and their romains occur in nearly all parts of the world in deposits ranging from Miocene to late Quaternary time. Origin: Gr. The breast +, a tooth. So called from the conical projections upon its molar teeth. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Mastodon

Literary usage of Mastodon

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Essay on the Theory of the Earth by Georges Cuvier, Robert Jameson, Samuel Latham Mitchill (1818)
"Great mastodon.—This species has been hitherto found in greatest abundance ... mastodon with narrow Grinders.—The fossil remains of this species have been ..."

2. Geological Magazine by Henry Woodward (1889)
"It was not found in the Port Kennedy, Pennsylvania, Bone-fissure, although the mastodon was there. This absence may be accidental. ..."

3. The Animal Kingdom Arranged in Conformity with Its Organization by Georges Cuvier, Edward Griffith, Charles Hamilton Smith, Edward Pidgeon, John Edward Gray, George Robert Gray (1830)
"Nor can we suppose that the same cause which extinguished the mastodon, ... THE GENUS mastodon. The Great mastodon is one of the most remarkable and ..."

4. Records of the Past by Records of the Past Exploration Society (1904)
"WHEN DID THE AMERICAN MAMMOTH AND mastodon BECOME EXTINCT? BY PROF. JOHN URI LLOYD FOR presuming to discuss a subject that must needs be left undecided ..."

5. The Wonders of Geology: Or, A Familiar Exposition of Geological Phenomena by Gideon Algernon Mantell, Thomas Rupert Jones (1858)
"mastodon AND ELEPHANT.—So much light has of late been brought to bear on the history of these great pachyderms, both in a zoological and geological point of ..."

6. The American Antiquarian and Oriental Journal by Stephen Denison Peet (1901)
"EARLY DISCOVERIES OF THE mastodon. BY THERESA J. FREEMAN. There are several localities in the United States, and especially that part embraced by the ..."

7. The English Cyclopaedia by Charles Knight (1867)
"Molar Tooth of mastodon, «lightly worn. But when from longer use the conical teat-like pointa are more deeply worn down, the following appearance is ..."

Other Resources: