Afghan hound
- noun
- /ˈæfɡən haʊnd/
- During a sunny afternoon, my friend took her Afghan hound for a run in the park, where it elegantly sprinted across the grass.
Examples
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Afghan Hounds
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At the dog show, the Afghan hound stood proudly, showcasing its long, silky coat and graceful movements.
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The Afghan hound is known for its speed and elegance, making it a popular choice among dog enthusiasts.
How Fast
Surface Forms
Morphology
A learner who knows 'Afghan' (from Afghanistan) and 'hound' (a type of dog) can readily infer this refers to a dog associated with Afghanistan — i.e., a breed from Afghanistan. The adjective+noun composition is a regular, cross-linguistic pattern for naming animal types, so the overall meaning is directly derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Afghan hound may come from dogs from Afghanistan that nomads used as long-legged 'hunting dogs' in the mountains. That's why Afghan names the place and hound shows the dog's job, and it explains why the breed today is tall, fast, and has a long, silky coat.