bearhound

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English

14th century bearhounds at work

Alternative forms

bear hound, bear-hound

Etymology

From bear +‎ hound.

Noun

bearhound (plural bearhounds)

  1. A dog used for bearbaiting or bear hunting.
    • 1887, Thomas Wallace Knox, The Boy Travellers in the Russian Empire, Chapter 11:
      "For his amusement John the Terrible used to order a number of people to be sewed up in bear-skins, and then torn to death by bear-hounds. For tearing prisoners to pieces he ordered the tops of several trees to be bent down so that they came together; the limbs of the unfortunate victim were fastened to these tops, each limb to a different tree. When they were thus tied up, the release of the trees performed the work intended by the cruel Czar."
    • 1918, Melville Davisson Post, Uncle Abner: Master of Mysteries, Chapter 5text=There seemed no overt reason, old Clayborne said, but presently Dabney began to act like a man in fear. He made friends with the dog, a big old bearhound. He got a fowling piece and set it up by the head of his bed, and finally took the dog into ​the room with him at night. He kept out of the house by day.:

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