spitz

noun

ˈspits 

: a member of any of several breeds of stocky heavy-coated dogs of northern origin with erect ears and usually a heavily furred tail carried over the back

Illustration of spitz

Examples of spitz in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Tatum and Dewan added rescue dog Lulu (a pit bull Catahoula mix) and Meeka (a miniature Japanese spitz) to their family to make their tribe a party of four. —Brooke Showell, Peoplemag, 1 Oct. 2022

There will also be a photograph of the dog Chester, a German spitz who often lounged by the door at the previous location; Chester is alive and well, a spokesman said, but not permitted by health regulations now that food is being sold. —New York Times, 6 June 2021

Earlier this month, a woman handed over a fox to a Chinese zoo after raising it as a Japanese spitz for nearly a year. —Elaina Zachos, National Geographic, 16 May 2018

Sad as this tale is, the stray husky-spitz mix became a part of history as the first living creature to orbit the Earth. —Alice George, Smithsonian, 12 Apr. 2018

Spitz broke NCAA champion Cindy Tran’s meet record in the backstroke with a lifetime-best 54.16 and won the 100 free in a meet-record and county-leading 49.64. —Dan Albano, Orange County Register, 5 May 2017

Word History

Etymology

German, from spitz pointed, from Old High German spizzi; from the shape of its ears and muzzle — more at spit

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

spitz

noun

ˈspits 

: a member of any of several breeds of heavy-coated dogs with ears standing straight up and a tail curled over the back