lurcher

[ lur-cher ]

/ ˈlɜr tʃər /

noun

a crossbred dog used especially by poachers.

Archaic. a person who lurks or prowls, as a thief or poacher.

Nearby words

lupus tumidus, lupus vulgaris, lur, luray, lurch, lurcher, lurdan, lure, lurex, lurgy, luria

Origin of lurcher

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at lurch³, -er¹

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

Examples from the Web for lurcher

Finlay gave chase, accompanied by a cross-bred dog, a sort of lurcher, which followed on the track of Neil.
Gairloch In North-West Ross-Shire|John H. Dixon, F.S.A. Scot
He had the look of a lurcher, and was, of course, a mongrel.
Blanco y Colorado|William C. Tetley
Any cross-bred dog, in whom the Greyhound blood predominates, may be designated as a Lurcher, and can be trained as such.
Sporting Dogs|Frank Townend Barton
Many shepherds dogs now have a cross of the lurcher in their strain, and are good at poaching.
The Gamekeeper at Home|Richard Jefferies

John Fullarton, over the hill, has a lurcher dog which is as good as a bloodhound.
The Mystery of Cloomber|Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for lurcher

lurcher

/ (ˈlɜːtʃə) /

noun

a crossbred hunting dog, usually a greyhound cross with a collie, esp one trained to hunt silently

archaic a person who prowls or lurks

Word Origin for lurcher

C16: from lurch ³

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