Otterhound

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A large breed of dog distinguished by its unique physical features and excellent tracking skills used for hunting aquatic animals, especially otters
2. Known for its webbed feet, this robust canine excels in tracking scents and is often employed in hunting situations involving water-dwelling animals
3. A sturdy dog breed recognized for its hunting abilities, particularly in tracking otters and other aquatic creatures, featuring distinctive physical traits and webbed feet

Etymology: The otterhound is a compound of two plain English words: "otter" and "hound". The dog was bred for a specific job, following the scent of otters through rivers and streams, and the name records that purpose directly. Its name is a literal description of its work, which makes it one of the more transparent names among dog breeds. The compound describes an action rather than a general type of animal. A hound is a dog that tracks by scent, so an otterhound is a hound trained to track the otter, an animal that spends much of its life in water. Here "otter" modifies "hound" in the way "fox" does in "foxhound" or "deer" in "deerhound".