Classical canine shapeshifting and beginning to talk (7)
I believe the answer is:
ancient
'classical' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Perhaps there's an association between them I don't understand?
'canine shapeshifting and beginning to talk' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
an anagram of 'canine' is 'ancien' which is present in the answer.
A single letter 't' remains which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for ancient that I've seen before include "over the hill" , "Of times long past" , "no longer current" , "Very old, like some civilizations" , "Extremely old" .)