Mastodon

Alternative forms

• mastodont

Origin

First attested 1813, from the New Latin genus name Mastodon (), coined by , from Ancient Greek μαστός (mastos, "breast") + ὀδούς (odous, "tooth"), from the similarity of the mammilloid projections on the crowns of the extinct mammal's molars.

Full definition of mastodon

Noun

1. 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.

Derived terms

• mastodonic