caninum

Caninum is a Latin neuter adjective used in biological nomenclature to mean “of the dog.” In scientific names, caninum functions as a specific epithet, modifying a genus to convey an association with dogs, such as host origin or habitat. The form is typically not capitalized and is combined with a generic name to form a binomial.

Etymology and gender agreement are fundamental to its usage. The root canis means dog in Latin. Adjective endings then align with the gender of the genus: caninum for neuter, caninum or canens? (note: the neuter form is caninum, while masculine is caninus and feminine is canina) to match the genus. This grammatical adjustment helps ensure consistency across taxonomic names.

In taxonomy, caninum appears across various animal and sometimes other biological groups as a specific epithet. Its presence usually signals some object of interest related to dogs—such as a host, origin, or characteristic associated with dogs—though the exact reason is determined by the taxonomist authoring the name. The epithet is selected within the rules of binomial nomenclature and can be revisited or revised if taxonomic understanding changes.

Care should be taken not to confuse caninum with the English term canine, which is a modern and non-Latin designation. Caninum is a Latin grammatical form used within formal scientific names, whereas canine appears in common language to describe dog-related features in general prose.

See also: Caninus, Canina, Canis. These related forms illustrate how Latin gender and stems are used to create species names that reflect associations with dogs.