spaniel
Americannoun
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one of any of several breeds of small or medium-sized dogs, usually having a long, silky coat and long, drooping ears.
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a submissive, fawning, or cringing person.
noun
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any of several breeds of gundog with long drooping ears, a silky coat, and formerly a docked tail See clumber spaniel cocker spaniel field spaniel springer spaniel Sussex spaniel water spaniel
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either of two toy breeds of spaniel See King Charles spaniel
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an obsequiously devoted person
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of spaniel
1350–1400; Middle English spaynel < Old French espaignol Spanish (dog), derivative of Espaigne Spain
Explanation
A spaniel is a wavy-haired dog with long, soft ears that was bred to help hunters by startling birds out of their hiding spots. Spaniels were bred as gun dogs, flushing game out of bushes, retrieving birds from the water, and pointing their bodies toward the hunter's prey, but most of these dogs are perfectly happy lounging on the couch. Whether it's a springer spaniel or a little Cavalier King Charles, this type of dog has feathery hair and long ears, and makes a great pal. The name, "Spanish" in Latin, is from an unproven theory that it originated in Spain.
Vocabulary lists containing spaniel
A Boy Called Bat
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Sheep
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This year he has brought two Bernese, a Border Collie, a Pomeranian and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026
As if on cue, Rudy, my aged Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, gingerly sidled up to him.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025
Stephanie Okrepkie drove away with her son, the family’s black Lab mix and their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2025
But the pros are making a serious mistake, and that is to assume that the average American is not much smarter than a Cocker Spaniel, and so can easily be misled.
From Salon • May 13, 2023
To this class belong our most valuable dogs,—the Spaniel, Setter, Pointer, Hound, and the Sheep-dog.
From The Dog by Youatt, William
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
