hound

hound classification used by breeders and kennel clubs to designate dogs bred to hunt animals. Most of the dogs in this group hunt by scent, their quarry ranging from such large game as bear or elk to small game and vermin; ground scenters trail slowly with the head low, and air scenters hunt with head breast-high. Also classified as hounds are several long-legged breeds that hunt mainly by sight. A third variety, called treeing hounds, also track by scent; these dogs pursue tree-climbing animals, such as raccoons and opossums. Many scent hounds have a coat characteristically patterned in "hound colors" : black, white, and tan. The following hound breeds are registered with the American Kennel Club: Afghan hound , American foxhound , basenji , basset hound , beagle , bloodhound , borzoi , black-and-tan coonhound , dachshund , English foxhound , greyhound , harrier , Irish wolfhound , Norwegian elkhound , otterhound , Rhodesian ridgeback , Scottish deerhound , Saluki , and whippet .

hound dog (also fig.) OE.; dog kept for the chase XIII. OE. hund = OS. hund (Du. hond), OHG. hunt (G. hund), ON. hundr, Goth. hunds :- Gmc. *χundaz, f. IE. k̂un-, repr. by (O)Ir. cú, Gr. kúōn, Lith. šuō, Skr. śvá, and (obscurely) rel. to L. canis.

hound / hound/ • n. a dog of a breed used for hunting, esp. one able to track by scent. ∎  any dog. ∎  a person who avidly pursues something: he has a reputation as a publicity hound. ∎ inf., dated a despicable or contemptible man. ∎  used in names of dogfishes, e.g., nurse hound, smooth hound. • v. [tr.] harass or persecute (someone) relentlessly: a tenacious attorney general who had hounded Jimmy Hoffa and other labor bosses his opponents used the allegations to hound him out of office. ∎  pursue relentlessly: he led the race from start to finish but was hounded all the way by Phillips. PHRASES: ride to hounds see ride. ORIGIN: Old English hund (in the general sense ‘dog’), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hond and German Hund, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek kuōn, kun- ‘dog.’