n.
A small stocky dog of a breed developed in Belgium, having dense long black fur and small pointed ears.
[Flemish, diminutive of schipper, skipper (from the dog's use as a watchdog on a boat), from Middle Dutch. See skipper1.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
