The difference between Canine and Cuspid

When used as nouns, canine means any member of caninae, the only living subfamily of canidae, whereas cuspid means a tooth with a single cusp.


Canine is also adjective with the meaning: of, or pertaining to, a dog or dogs.

check bellow for the other definitions of Canine and Cuspid

  1. Canine as an adjective:

    Of, or pertaining to, a dog or dogs.

  2. Canine as an adjective:

    Dog-like.

  3. Canine as an adjective (anatomy):

    Of or pertaining to mammalian teeth which are cuspids or fangs.

  4. Canine as an adjective (medicine, obsolete):

    Of an appetite: depraved or inordinate; used to describe eating disorders.

  1. Canine as a noun:

    Any member of Caninae, the only living subfamily of Canidae.

  2. Canine as a noun (formal):

    Any of certain extant canids regarded as similar to the dog or wolf (including coyotes, jackals, etc.) but distinguished from the vulpines, which are regarded as fox-like.

  3. Canine as a noun:

    In heterodont mammals, the pointy tooth between the incisors and the premolars; a cuspid.

  4. Canine as a noun (poker slang):

    A king and a nine as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em due to phonetic similarity.

  1. Cuspid as a noun:

    A tooth with a single cusp; a canine.