spaniel

American  

[span-yuhl] / ˈspæn jəl /

noun

spaniels plural

1. one of any of several breeds of small or medium-sized dogs, usually having a long, silky coat and long, drooping ears.

2. a submissive, fawning, or cringing person.

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spaniel British  

/ ˈspænjəl /

noun

1. 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

2. either of two toy breeds of spaniel See King Charles spaniel

3. an obsequiously devoted person

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• spaniellike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• spaniels
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spaniel spaniels

My daughter is a Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Clover, and for the past couple of months, she’s had clipped to her collar an A.I. communication device known as the PetPhone.

From Slate ● Jun. 20, 2026

Lazare, a Papillon dwarf spaniel with stand-up "butterfly" ears, was born on December 4, 1995, according to animal charity worker Anne-Sophie Moyon.

From Barron's ● May 15, 2026

A French toy spaniel named Lazare thought to have been "the world's oldest dog" has died aged 30, his carer said on Friday.

From Barron's ● May 15, 2026

Part of the accusation was aimed at a cocker spaniel the Nixons were given by a supporter that his six-year-old daughter Tricia had named Checkers.

From Salon ● May 8, 2026

Thor woke from his nap just when Laurence was finishing the last bath, which was for an inky spaniel named Webster.

From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold

"Labradors and spaniels aren't killed in these numbers - greyhounds deserve the same life that every other dog deserves."

From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026

Barbara Weston, who runs a club devoted to Clumber spaniels, said she hoped the win would help secure the breed's future.

From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026

Mamaradlo breeds cocker spaniels that live with her when they’re not “working.”

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2025

Specific dog breeds at increased risk include chow chows, bulldogs, French bulldogs, dogue de Bordeaux, greyhounds, boxers, English springer spaniels, Cavalier King Charles spaniels, pugs, golden retrievers and Staffordshire bull terriers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2024

Occasionally, Granny and I had to jump off the pavement to make way for madams and their poodles and English toy spaniels.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane