hound 1
— hounder , n. — houndish, houndy , adj. — houndlike , adj.
/hownd/ , n.
1. one of any of several breeds of dogs trained to pursue game either by sight or by scent, esp. one with a long face and large drooping ears.
2. Informal. any dog.
3. a mean, despicable person.
4. Informal. an addict or devotee: an autograph hound.
5. one of the pursuers in the game of hare and hounds.
6. follow the hounds , Fox Hunting. to participate in a hunt, esp. as a member of the field.
7. ride to hounds , Fox Hunting. to participate in a hunt, whether as a member of the field or of the hunt staff.
v.t.
8. to hunt or track with hounds, or as a hound does; pursue.
9. to pursue or harass without respite: Her little brother wouldn't stop hounding her.
10. to incite (a hound) to pursuit or attack; urge on.
11. Informal. to incite or urge (a person) to do something (usually fol. by on ).
[ bef. 900; ME h ( o ) und, OE hund; c. D hond, ON hundr, Dan, SW hund, G Hund, Goth hunds; akin to L canis, Gk kýon (gen. kynós ), Skt sván (gen. sunas ), OIr cú (gen. con ), Welsh ci (pl. cwn ), Tocharian A ku, Lith šuõ ]
Syn. 8. dog, follow, chase, trail; tail. 9. pester, annoy, persecute, bully.
hound 2
/hownd/ , n.
1. Naut. either of a pair of fore-and-aft members at the lower end of the head of a mast, for supporting the trestletrees, that support an upper mast at its heel. Cf. cheek (def. 12).
2. a horizontal bar or brace, usually one of a pair, for strengthening the running gear of a horse-drawn wagon or the like.
[ 1175-1225; ME hun hunn knob at the masthead ]