black-and-tan coonhound

7.5

A large strong American hunting dog with black fur and tan marks that hunts raccoons

noun
/ˈblæk ənd tæn ˈkuːnhaʊnd/

: coonhound bicolor

The black-and-tan coonhound is known for its keen sense of smell.

Examples

The black-and-tan coonhound is known for its determination and loud, baying bark when tracking prey.
As a puppy, our black-and-tan coonhound was already showing remarkable energy and curiosity.
Many hunters value the black-and-tan coonhound for its keen sense of smell and stamina.
Many hunters prefer a black-and-tan coonhound for tracking raccoons.
The black-and-tan coonhound is known for its keen sense of smell and tracking ability.
Many hunters prefer the black-and-tan coonhound for tracking raccoons in the woods.
With its distinctive black coat and tan markings, the black-and-tan coonhound is easily recognizable.

Synonyms

coonhound

vsblack-and-tan coonhound

1 8.9

A hunting dog bred to track raccoons by smell

is one specific American breed, large and black with tan markings

coondog

vsblack-and-tan coonhound

1 9.7

A dog trained to hunt raccoons

is the specific American hunting breed noted for black coat and tan markings

Surface Forms

black-and-tan coonhound singular

black-and-tan coonhounds plural

Morphology

black-and-tan + coonhound

The phrase is a straightforward adjectival color pattern + breed name: a coonhound (a hound for raccoon hunting) that is black-and-tan (black coat with tan markings). A B1 learner who knows the constituent words ('black', 'tan', 'coon', 'hound') can compositionally infer this meaning, and the adjective+noun pattern is a common, cross-linguistic descriptive construction.

Etymology

Black-and-tan coonhound comes from what the dog looks like and what it does: it has mostly black fur with tan markings and was bred to hunt raccoons, called 'coons', so it is a hound. That's why the name means a large hunting dog with a black coat and tan marks.