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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.
As to the extent that Latinate words such as  Dogo  or  Dogge  may be translated as mastiff, molosser breeds such as the Dogo Argentino and Dogo Canario may also be considered mastiffs. However, these terms may refer not only to breeds called mastiffs in English, but also to Bulldogs and pit bulls.