: any of a European breed of small slender toy spaniels having large erect heavily fringed ears

Examples of papillon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Anthony Devlin / Getty Images Miuccia emerged victorious, beating Ana, a Jack Russell terrier; Liza, the miniature schnauzer; Viking, the Tibetan mastiff; Shake, the Australian shepherd; Sophia, the papillon; and Suzie, the cocker spaniel. Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 10 Mar. 2025 The American Kennel Club says that these breeds include basset hounds; beagles; bulldogs; cavalier King Charles spaniels; collies; golden retrievers; Labrador retrievers; papillons; and pugs. Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, butterfly, from Latin papilion-, papilio

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of papillon was in 1907

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Papillon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/papillon. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.

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