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Glite Dictionary
😈 An evil person 🐕 A demon dog
hellhound

hellhound

1 9.9
A ghostly dog with fiery eyes that guards the entrance to the underworld
  • noun
  • /ˈhɛlˌhaʊnd/
  • Literature
translation icon : perro infernal
  • In the myth, the hellhound is said to guard the gates of the underworld.

The Hind, the hammer, the harpy, the hawk and the Hellhound.

Examples

  • All that "safety" is before you even get to the Gates of Barrister Hades, guarded by the hellhound with three heads: paranoia, hypochondria, and fraud.

    Blog text (24)

  • " What happened to the other two dogs?" "Oh, they were hellhounds, demonic dogs from the lower depths," he said.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Now the hellhounds of legend aren't known for being adorable, but this is so cute.

  • The legend of the hellhound describes a terrifying creature that can sense a person's fear.

  • People say that the eerie howls at night belong to a hellhound lurking in the shadows.

Surface Forms

hellhound singular
hellhounds plural

Morphology

hellhound = hell + hound (transparent) = hell + hound

Denotes a supernatural dog associated with hell/the underworld, a direct and literal compound of 'hell' + 'hound'.

Etymology

Hellhound comes from the parts hell ('place of punishment') and hound ('dog'). In legend it named a magical dog that guards the gates of the underworld, which is why a hellhound is shown as a fierce, otherworldly guard dog.