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dog O.E. docga, a late, rare word used of a powerful breed of canine. It forced out O.E. hund (the general Germanic and IE word; see canine) by 16c. and subsequently was picked up in many continental languages (cf. Fr. dogue, Dan. dogge), but the origin remains one of the great mysteries of English etymology.
The terms the mastiff group and the mastiffs has been used synonymous with the term  molosser . As such, any molosser, including bulldogs, mountain dogs, pit bulls, and even small dogs such as the Boston terriers may be considered mastiffs in this broad sense. However, the term is most commonly reserved for Dog breeds with the word Mastiff in their name including many of the largest of all dogs.