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beagle

[bee-guh l]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR beagle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

one of a breed of small hounds having long ears, short legs, and a usually black, tan, and white coat.

Origin of beagle

1490–1500; perhaps < Middle French beegueule one who whines insistently, equivalent to bee, 3rd person singular of beer to be open, gape (by-form of bayer (see bay²) + gueule mouth (of an animal); see gullet

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for beagle

detective, gumshoe, sleuth, mongrel, canine, mutt, afghan, pointer, basset, poodle, dachshund, pooch, airedale, retriever, eye, inspector, investigator, operative, PI, dick

Examples from the Web for beagle

Contemporary Examples of beagle

All this time his beagle lay motionless on the floor in the entry hall.
The Day I Met Charles Schulz
Daniel J. Levitin
February 12, 2013
There was a brief attempt to train a beagle named Python Pete to track the snakes.
The Great Python Hunt
Catharine Skipp
February 26, 2010

Historical Examples of beagle

He has been a beagle hound, nose down, on my smell, pursuing it.
The Island Mystery
George A. Birmingham
The "Beagle" has gone back to Bahia, and will pick me up on its return.
The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, Volume I (of II)
Charles Darwin
In a few days time the "Beagle" will sail for the Galapagos Islands.
More Letters of Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Being the second part of the Geology of the Voyage of the Beagle, etc.
Life of Charles Darwin
G. T. (George Thomas) Bettany
Darwin was only three years back from the voyage of the "Beagle."
Makers of British Botany; a collection of biographies by living botanists
Various

British Dictionary definitions for beagle

beagle

noun

a small sturdy breed of hound, having a smooth dense coat usually of white, tan, and black; often used (esp formerly) for hunting hares

archaic a person who spies on others

verb

(intr) to hunt with beagles, normally on foot

Word Origin for beagle

C15: of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for beagle

n.

late 15c., of unknown origin, possibly from French becguele "noisy person," literally "gaping throat," from bayer "open wide" (see bay (n.2)) + gueule "mouth" (see gullet).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper