noun \ˈmas-tə-ˌdän, -dən\

: a type of animal that was related to the mammoth and that lived in ancient times

Full Definition of MASTODON

:  any of various extinct mammals (genus Mammut syn. Mastodon) of the elephant family existing from the Miocene through the Pleistocene that are distinguished from the related mammoths chiefly by molar teeth with cone-shaped cusps
:  one that is unusually large
mas·to·don·ic \ˌmas-tə-ˈdä-nik\ adjective
mas·to·dont \ˈmas-tə-ˌdänt\ adjective or noun

Examples of MASTODON

  1. <mom-and-pop stores just can't compete with these mastodons of retailing>

Origin of MASTODON

New Latin mastodont-, mastodon, from Greek mastos + odont-, odōn, odous tooth — more at tooth
First Known Use: 1811

Rhymes with MASTODON



noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any of several extinct elephant species (genus Mastodon) that lived worldwide 23.7 million–10,000 years ago or later in North America, where they were contemporaneous with historic American Indian groups. Well-preserved remains are quite common. Mastodons ate leaves and had small grinding teeth and long, parallel, upward-curving upper tusks; males also had short lower tusks. Shorter than modern elephants, they had long, heavily built bodies and short, pillarlike legs. Their long hair was reddish brown. The skull was similar to that of modern elephants but lower and flatter, and the ears were small. Human hunting may have played a role in the mastodon's extinction. See also mammoth.


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