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Why are blood hounds called by this name?

Question #101906. Asked by star_gazer.
Last updated Jun 09 2021.

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zbeckabee star
Answer has 5 votes
zbeckabee star
Moderator
18 year member
11752 replies avatar

Answer has 5 votes.
Nothing in the History of the Bloodhound is more remarkable than the way in which it has become accepted that the derivation of the word ‘Bloodhound’ is from the meaning ‘pure-bred hound’. This idea seems to have been first put forward in the 19th Century, by Le Couteulx de Canteleu, quite without any etymological justification, in support of his idea that the Bloodhound was the St Hubert Hound kept pure in Britain. Etymology, however, is not a matter of guesswork: it requires evidence like any other study, and all the relevant linguistic and historical facts need to be sifted through. If this is done, it becomes totally clear that the original meaning is ‘blood-seeking hound’.

link https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/dog-breeds/bloodhound

Response last updated by CmdrK on Jun 09 2021.
Dec 25 2008, 11:15 PM
edmund80
Answer has 6 votes
Currently Best Answer
edmund80
16 year member
864 replies

Answer has 6 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
Primarily because of their use as scenthounds, able to follow scents for hours or even days. This may or may not mean following the scent of actual blood trails, although that was apparently the meaning intended when the term was first used by Caius in 1576.

‘Bloodhound’ is a compound word, made up of two nouns ‘blood’ and ‘hound’. With this kind of word the semantic (meaning) relationship between the two parts is not obvious; we are expected to know it from our experience. ‘Bloodhound’ means ‘hound associated (in some way) with blood’, but what ‘blood’ could mean to the speaker of Middle English demands historical investigation."

"The earliest person actually to consider how the word was derived is Caius (1576). To him, Bloodhounds derive the name from their ability to follow blood-trails. In the absence of any earlier discussion, or any contradictory evidence, there is no reason to doubt Caius."
link https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/11533992/aspects-of-bloodhound-history-bloodhoundsorguk

"A bloodhound (also known as the St. Hubert hound) is a large breed of dog bred for the specific purpose of tracking human beings. Consequently, it is often used by authorities to track escaped prisoners or missing persons. It is a scenthound, famed for its ability to follow a scent hours or even days old, over long distances."
link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloodhound
link http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/bloodhound.htm

Response last updated by CmdrK on Jun 09 2021.
Dec 25 2008, 11:21 PM
queproblema
Answer has 6 votes
queproblema
18 year member
2119 replies

Answer has 6 votes.
I've run across that very question on "Who's the Smartest?" several times. The question is wrong, then.

"This breed, the best of the cold-trailing hounds (hounds that follow an old scent) received its name from its fine pedigree.

Bloodhound. It's a blooded hound- as in blue-blood."


The American Bloodhound Club says,

The name Bloodhound was derived from the expression "blooded hound", meaning a hound of pure breeding.
link http://www.bloodhounds.org/page2/page22/history.html

and
"Blood," in the breed name "bloodhound," probably comes from "blooded" - meaning a hound of pure breeding.
link http://www.bloodhounds.org/page2/page22/history.html

There exists, of course, the possibility that the club doesn't care to entertain the alternate idea.

Response last updated by CmdrK on Jun 09 2021.
Dec 26 2008, 2:05 AM
davejacobs
Answer has 4 votes
davejacobs
22 year member
956 replies

Answer has 4 votes.
This illuminating article also supports the 'blood-line' origin of the name, although again without etymological evidence. In fact the story seems to involve much cross breeding in the early days.
Also it doesn't nmake much sense, does it? Surely ALL dog breeds recognised by the AKC must be pure bred, so why single out bloodhounds for this description?

link https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/bloodhound/

Response last updated by CmdrK on Jun 09 2021.
Dec 26 2008, 3:04 AM
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