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Webster 1913 Edition

Adj.

Having the corners of the leaves turned down and soiled by careless or long-continued usage; – said of a book;

as, an old book with

dog-eared

pages

Making a page

dog-eared

is sometimes done deliberately to mark a location in a book.

Statute books before unopened, not

dog-eared

Ld. Mansfield.

See also: dogeared and dog eared

dog-eared ‎(comparative more dog-eared, superlative most dog-eared)

(of a page in a book) Bent or slightly ragged in appearance, especially due to having been read many times.
The pages in his favorite book were dog-eared from years of reading it at bedtime.
(of a page in a book) Having the corner folded over, as a sort of bookmark.
By thumbing to the dog-eared pages, she quickly found the items in the catalog she wanted to order.

worn out or shabby from overuse

to be bent in a manner like the ear of certain dogs