Lhasa apso

noun

plural Lhasa apsos
often capitalized A
: any of a Tibetan breed of small dogs that have a dense coat of long hard straight hair, a heavy fall over the eyes, heavy whiskers and beard, and a well-feathered tail curled over the back

called also Lhasa

Illustration of Lhasa apso

Illustration of lhasa apso

Examples of Lhasa apso in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
In a tent reserved for grooming, a Lhasa apso was carefully flat-ironed while several miniature poodles were sculpted into sudsy topiaries. Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 13 May 2024 And how did pugs and poodles, Lhasa apsos and Labradors come to be? Rosie Mestel, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 Yet Bailey lived in a compound surrounded by animals and, with his wife, introduced the Lhasa apso terrier into Britain. Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Lhasa, Tibet + Tibetan (Lhasa dialect) ə̄bsɔɔ̀ (written Tibetan absog) small hairy dog, Lhasa apso

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Lhasa apso was in 1935

Dictionary Entries Near Lhasa apso

Cite this Entry

“Lhasa apso.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Lhasa%20apso. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on Lhasa apso

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!