dachshund

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈdæksˌhʊnd/, /ˈdæk.sənd/ (UK); /ˈdɑksˌhʊnt/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from German Dachshund,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from German Dachs (“badger”) + Hund (“dog”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} because the dogs were used to hunt badgers.^[2][3][4][7] German Dachs comes from Old High German dahs and is the source of French taisson and Spanish tejón;^[4] Hund is related to hound.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A German breed of short-legged, long-bodied dog used to draw badgers (1844 in Etymonline; about 1881 in Barnhart and the OED; 1882 in Merriam-Webster).^[4][3][7][5]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline quotes an 1859 English account saying that the breed had recently been introduced into England, a few having been presented to the Queen from Saxony.^[4] The breed now has short-haired, long-haired and wire-haired varieties.^[5]

Timeline

• 15th century – German Dachshund.^[4]
• 1844 – first English use (Etymonline; about 1881 in Barnhart and the OED).^[4][3][7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A small dog of a breed developed in Germany for hunting badgers, with a long body, very short legs and drooping ears.

Related words

• hound
• badger

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press