otter hound
- noun
- UK
:
perro de caza de nutrias
- The otter hound is a skilled swimmer, originally bred to hunt otters in the water.
Examples
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The otter hound is known for its keen sense of smell and love of water.
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Despite his large size, our otter hound was gentle and affectionate with children.
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After years of decline, the otter hound breed is now considered rare.
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The otter hound is known for its excellent swimming ability.
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Many otter hounds have a thick, shaggy coat.
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With its long, pendulous ears, the otter hound has a distinct appearance among dog breeds.
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Our otter hound enjoys exploring the riverside during our daily walks.
Synonyms
121
1.5
A dog used for hunting with long drooping ears and a strong nose
43
3.7
A mammal like a dog or fox that belongs to the dog family
6
2.7
A dog used for hunting with long ears and a very good nose
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning of 'otter hound' is directly derivable from its parts: 'otter' (the animal) + 'hound' (a dog used for hunting), so it denotes a hound associated with otters or used to hunt them. This noun–noun compounding is a regular, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Otter hound — The compound noun otter hound comes from the dog's old job: a hound used to chase and catch otters in rivers. Because it was raised to follow an animal by smell and to swim after it, the name now means 'a large, strong dog that likes water and can find animals by smell'.