Meanings
nounthe canine letter
- archaicThe letter r.
All the foregoing etymologies, be it observed, are the conjectures of English scholars; for the English is the only language in which the name of the individual, Fairy, has the canine letter to afford any foundation for them.
1833, Thomas Keightley, Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 10
Origin
So called because it sometimes represents a sound like a dog's growl.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
canine letter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/canine%20letter
MLA
“canine letter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/canine%20letter. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “canine letter,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/canine%20letter.
Source: canine letter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.