hound
A dog, especially one used for hunting.
Etymology
From Old English hund "dog," from Proto-Germanic *hundaz, from PIE *ḱwon- "dog." In Old English, "hund" was the general word for any dog. The word "dog" (of obscure origin) gradually replaced it, pushing "hound" into the specialized meaning of a hunting dog. The PIE word survives in "canine," "kennel," and "cynical" via Latin and Greek.
The Journey: *ḱwon- → hound
*ḱwon-
*hundaz
hund
hound
hound
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *ḱwon-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Greek | kúōn |
| Latin | canis |
| Welsh | ci |
| Armenian | šun |
| Sanskrit | śván |
| Old Irish | cú |
| Lithuanian | šuõ |
Did You Know?
The same PIE root *ḱwon- gives English three words: "hound" (native Germanic), "canine" (via Latin canis), and "cynic" (via Greek kúōn — Cynics were called "dog-like" philosophers).
This word descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *ḱwon-. See the full root page for descendant trees, sound law references, and scholarly discussion.