greyhound
/ˈɡɹeɪhaʊnd/ noun, verb
Forms greyhounds greyhounding greyhounded grayhound
- noun A lean breed of dog used in hunting and racing.
- noun A highball cocktail of vodka and grapefruit juice.
- noun (dated) A swift steamer, especially an ocean steamer.
- verb (transitive, of fish) To leap rapidly across the surface of the water.
- noun A bus run by Greyhound Lines.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Old English grīġhund, from a cognate or borrowing of Old Norse grøy (“bitch”) (whence Icelandic grey, thus not related to the colour grey) plus hund (“hound”). Altered by folk etymology to appear to be grey + hound.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A slender, graceful breed of dogs, remarkable for keen sight and swiftness. It is one of the oldest varieties known, and is figured on the Egyptian monuments. [Written also grayhound.]
Etymology [OE. graihund, greihound, greahund, grihond, Icel. greyhundr; grey greyhound + hundr dog; cf. AS. grghund. The origin of the first syllable is unknown.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “greyhound”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details