Etymologically
Log in

hunter

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 03:24. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈhʌntə/ (UK); /ˈhʌntɚ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English hunt + -er,[2][3][4] Middle English hunter, from hunten “to hunt”.[4] It replaced the Old English agent noun hunta, Middle English hunte.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

One who chases game or other wild animals: about 1250 in the OED, the mid-13th century in Etymonline, where it is also found in place names from the late 12th century.[5][2]

Semantic evolution

One who searches eagerly for something, often in compounds such as fortune-hunter, is from about 1374.[5][3] A dog used for hunting is from 1605, and a horse bred for hunting, usually a strong, fast jumper, from 1687.[5][6] Light infantry soldiers, translating German Jäger and French chasseur, were called hunters from 1753.[5] The hunter's moon, the next full moon after the harvest moon, is from 1710.[2] A hunter is also a watch with a hinged cover over the glass, from 1851.[5][7] In Ireland and northern England a good mousing cat was called a hunter.[8]

Timeline

  • late 12th century – in place names.[2]
  • c. 1250 – one who hunts.[5]
  • c. 1374 – one who seeks something.[5]
  • 1605 – a hunting dog.[5]
  • 1687 – a hunting horse.[5]
  • 1710 – the hunter's moon.[2]
  • 1851 – a hunting watch.[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A person or animal that hunts wild animals.
  2. A person who searches for something: a bargain hunter.
  3. A horse bred for hunting, strong and a good jumper.
  4. A dog bred or trained for hunting.
  5. A watch with a hinged cover protecting the glass.

Word family

  • hunterlike
  • demi-hunter
  • foxhunter
  • headhunter
  • hunter-gatherer
  • hunter-killer
  • pothunter
  • spiderhunter
  • huntress
  • huntsman
  • hunting
  • hunt

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  7. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)