Beagled

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

  1. Having been pursued or hunted persistently and persistently tracked, as one might do with a small hunting dog known for its tracking skills ; Describing a state of being followed or chased relentlessly, especially in a manner reminiscent of the hunting style typical of a small scent hound ; Indicating the condition of being closely trailed or pursued, particularly by means similar to the persistent and determined approach used by a beagle during a hunt
  2. Experiencing the act of being doggedly pursued or followed, often with careful tracking akin to that of a small scent hound ; Characterized by thorough and unwavering pursuit, mirroring the hunting technique of a keen-nosed hunting dog ; Marked by an ongoing and focused chase or search, as would be conducted using the sharp scenting abilities of a compact hunting breed
  3. Subject to a process of careful and relentless tracking or pursuit, as might be executed by a small canine bred for hunting ; Exhibiting signs of being tailed or hunted attentively, imitating the methodical chase of a scent dog ; Reflecting a period of intense and persistent following, comparable to the style of tracking employed by a spirited hound bred for tracking game

Etymology: The verb "beagled" is simply the past tense of "beagle," so its story is really the story of the dog's name, which is itself a puzzle. The noun "beagle" first appears in Middle English as "begel" (recorded in the plural "begles"), but nobody is certain where it came from. One suggestion links it to the Old French "beer," meaning to gape or gawk, combined with "gueule," meaning gullet, producing a sense like "one who keeps their mouth open." That idea is attractive, but it rests on a guess. A more persuasive theory points to "beadle," the Middle English word for a minor officer of the law, a constable or petty official. The sounds "t" and "d" shifting to "k" and "g" before "l" are common in English, as in "huckleberry" for earlier forms with a "t," and "turkle" for "turtle." On this reading, "beagle" would be a variant of "beadle," and the dog's name would descend from a word for a tracker of wrongdoers, which fits the verb's modern sense of hunting someone down relentlessly.

Synonyms: hunted, tracked, searched, pursued, stalked

Antonyms: ignored, neglected, avoided, escaped, evaded