Meaning & use
boarhound
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Meaning
nouncountableold-fashioned
A large, strong dog of a type that people in the past bred and trained to hunt and hold wild boar.
Grammar: Countable; usually singular or with 'a pack of' for a group of hunting dogs.
Patterns
- a boarhound hunts something
- keep a boarhound
- a pack of boarhounds
In the Middle Ages, a nobleman might ride out with his boarhounds to hunt in the forest.
The Great Dane is descended from the boarhounds once used in Germany.
She read about a breed of boarhound with a deep bark and great strength.
Word forms
| plural | boarhounds |
|---|
Common combinations
- a pack of boarhounds
- A pack of boarhounds was released into the wood when the wild boar was sighted.
- keep a boarhound
- Only rich landowners could afford to keep a boarhound, since the dogs ate a great deal.
- boarhound breed
- The boarhound breed was valued more for courage than for speed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Great Dane
- Not a true synonym: the Great Dane is a modern breed that developed from old boarhounds, and is now kept as a companion dog rather than a hunting dog.
- mastiff
- A mastiff is a different large, powerful dog type; both were used in boar hunting, but they are distinct kinds of dog.
Word family
Commonly confused: boarhound or Great Dane?
boarhound vs Great Dane
People sometimes think a boarhound is the same as a Great Dane; in fact 'boarhound' names the older, historical hunting type, while the Great Dane is its modern descendant breed.
Practice
In a historical novel, which dog would hunters most likely use to chase and hold a wild boar?
Choose one answer.
A boarhound was specifically bred for hunting wild boar, so it fits the hunting context. A greyhound is a tempting wrong choice because it is also a fast hunting dog, but greyhounds hunt small game by sight and speed, not large dangerous animals like boar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “boarhound”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.