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Glite Dictionary
Russian wolfhound

Russian wolfhound

1 7.0
A tall, long-haired dog from Russia bred to hunt wolves
  • noun
  • /ˈrʌʃən ˈwʊlfˌhaʊnd/
translation icon : perro lobo ruso
  • The animal appeared to have been bred from a Russian wolfhound and a goat.

Examples

  • During the hunt, the Russian wolfhound chased down the prey with remarkable agility.

  • Uh, that's, uh, Russian wolfhound.

    Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)

  • The Russian wolfhound is known for its incredible speed and elegant appearance.

  • We adopted a Russian wolfhound that quickly became a beloved member of our family.

Synonyms

borzoi
vsRussian wolfhound
1 9.8

A large, thin dog with long silky fur that hunts by sight

is defined by height, speed and original use hunting wolves

How Tall

Russian wolfhound
1 7.0
greyhound
46 2.4
Labrador
1 1.9
beagle
23 1.3
Chihuahua
11 3.3

Surface Forms

Russian wolfhound singular
Russian wolfhounds plural

Morphology

Russian + wolfhound

The meaning 'a breed of dog from Russia used for hunting wolves' is directly compositional from 'Russian' (relating to Russia) + 'wolfhound' (a large dog bred for hunting wolves). The nationality + noun compound is a very common, cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Russian wolfhound comes from old Russian hunting dogs that were used to chase wolves. The name shows this: Russian means from Russia and wolfhound means a hound for wolves, so the name now means 'a tall, fast dog bred to hunt wolves'.