Newfoundland
//ˈn(j)u.fənd.lənd// name, noun, slang
name, noun, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A very large breed of working dog from Newfoundland, with a shaggy, usually black coat, known for its water rescue ability, strength, and gentle disposition.
"The younger, a frank, bold, bright-eyed child, was mounted on a large Newfoundland dog, whose impatience the elder brother was trying to soothe."
- 2 a breed of very large heavy dogs with a thick coarse usually black coat; highly intelligent dogs and vigorous swimmers; developed in Newfoundland wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A large island off the coast of eastern Canada, which, along with Labrador, has composed the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador since 1949, and the Dominion of Newfoundland, before it.
- 2 Former name of Newfoundland and Labrador. historical
- 3 Ellipsis of Newfoundland and Labrador. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, informal
- 4 A former North American constituent country of the British Empire; in full, Dominion of Newfoundland. historical
- 5 A former North American colony of the British Empire; in full, Colony of Newfoundland. historical
Example
More examples"Tom wanted to buy a Newfoundland dog."
Etymology
From Middle English new found lande (in a letter, apparently written in 1499, from Henry VII of England to his lord chancellor, Cardinal John Morton, about the North American land explored by Sebastian and John Cabot, a likely location being Newfoundland, or the name later being specifically narrowed down to it), equivalent to newfound + land.
Related phrases
More for "newfoundland"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.