Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A dog of a breed developed in China, probably from a Tibetan breed, having a long flowing coat, short legs, a square muzzle, and a tail that curls over the back.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Mandarin shīzi (gǒu), lion (dog), shih tzu, from Middle Chinese ʂr̩ tsz̩´, lion, from earlier *srij-tsəˀ, probably from Tocharian B ṣecake, lion (with the second syllable of the Tocharian word reanalyzed as the Old Chinese noun formative suffix *tsəˀ; see gyoza); akin to Tocharian A śiśäk, lion, of unknown origin.]

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