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definitions

water spaniel

noun
  1. either of two breeds of spaniels, used for retrieving waterfowl.
Compare American water spaniel, Irish water spaniel.

Origin of water spaniel

First recorded in 1560–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for water spaniel

Historical Examples of water spaniel

  • "Nay, that was a water-spaniel did that," said the goldsmith.

    Captain Ravenshaw

    Robert Neilson Stephens

  • In the street she was followed by a water-spaniel, which appealed and vanished suddenly.

    A Mummer's Tale

    Anatole France

  • A water-spaniel which knows how to work with a hawk is in each case very useful.

  • She hath more qualities than a water-spaniel,— 270 which is much in a bare Christian.

    Two Gentlemen of Verona

    William Shakespeare

  • No jack-rabbits ventured into the desert; no more would a water-spaniel breast a scalding sea.

    On a Donkey's Hurricane Deck

    R. Pitcher Woodward

British Dictionary definitions for water spaniel

water spaniel

noun
  1. either of two large curly-coated breeds of spaniel (the Irish and the American), which are used for hunting waterfowlSee also Irish water spaniel
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