What is the origin of 'sleep tight'?
Read moreOne of the mysteries of the English language finally explained.
A genus of sabre-toothed fossil felids; (also machairodus) a felid of this genus.
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in William Buckland (1784–1856), geologist and dean of Westminster. From scientific Latin Machairodus from ancient Greek μάχαιρα + ὀδούς tooth. Compare sabre-toothed.