beagle a small hound of a breed with a short coat, used for hunting hares. Recorded from the late 15th century, the word may come from Old French beegueule ‘open-mouthed’, from beer ‘open wide’ + gueule ‘throat’.

HMS Beagle was the name of the ship of Charles Darwin's voyage of 1831–6 around the southern hemisphere; the Beagle Channel through the islands of Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America was named after her.

bea·gle / ˈbēgəl/ • n. a small sturdy hound of a breed with a coat of medium length, bred esp. for hunting.DERIVATIVES: bea·gler / -g(ə)lər/ n.

beagle Hunting dog, used to chase and follow small game. Of ancient origin, the modern breed was developed in England in the mid-1800s. It has a long, slightly domed head with a square-cut muzzle, long, hanging ears and widely set, large, eyes. Average size: (two varieties) not exceeding 38cm (15in) at the shoulder; weight: 8–14kg (18–31lb).

beagle small hound used for hare-hunting. XV. perh. — OF. beegueule ‘having the mouth open’, f. beer gape + gueule throat (cf. GULLET).