(a) An ordinary domesticated dog; (b) a dog used in hunting or hawking, a trained hunting dog; brace of houndes, a pair or brace of hounds; kenel (meute, pak) of houndes, a group of hounds kept for hunting; (c) a herdsman's dog; a watchdog; also fig.; (d) an adult male dog; also, an adult dog of either sex; male ~, female ~; (e) a mongrel between a dog and another animal; a legendary dog of extraordinary size and strength; (f) in the names of dogs of various sorts and conditions: blod ~, q.v.; gentil ~, a well-bred hunting dog; ?also, a pet dog; grehound, q.v.; renning ~, a kind of hunting dog; wod (ravishing) ~, a mad dog; shepherdes ~, etc.; bocher(es ~, bukke ~, hert ~, mastif ~, see bocher, bukke, hert, mastif.

In proverbs, sayings, & comparisons.

As a term of abuse: (a) a detested or despicable person; also, false preacher, heretic; dombe ~; (b) an unbeliever, infidel, pagan; hethen ~; also, cristen ~; -- said in disparagement by an infidel.

(a) A painted or embroidered representation of a dog; a hound in a coat of arms; (b) the Dog Star, Sirius; also, the heliacal rising of the Dog Star; (c) a dog inhabiting hell; also, a devil, the Devil; ~ of helle, Cerberus; also, the Devil, a wicked person [cp. helle ~]; (d) ~ of heven, ?a heavenly power.

Cpds. & combs.: (a) hound(es bitinge, houndes bite, the wound made by the biting of a dog; hound(es bred, coarse bread fed to dogs; hound(es coler, a dog collar; houndes pisse, dogs' urine; houndes swain, a keeper of hunting dogs, ?kennel groom; ~ hed, the head of a dog; ~ lesse, a dog leash; ~ whelp, a young dog, puppy; (b) hound(es-fish, q.v.; hound(es-flie, a kind of stinging insect, ?a gadfly or flesh fly; ~ geld silver, ?an amercement for not mutilating the feet of a dog caught hunting in the forest, foot geld; ~ sterre, the Dog Star, Sirius; (c) ~ bane, ~ ben(e, ?horehound (Marubium vulgare); hound(es-beri(e, q.v.; houndes hed, ?snapdragon of genus Antirrhinum; ?a related plant with similar flowers, such as toadflax of genus Linaria; houndes oinion, the sea onion, squill Urginea maritima; houndes rose, the dogrose Rosa canina; ?also, rose gall; houndes thorn, ?the dogrose; houndes-tonge, q.v.; houndes toth, a plant resembling the common dandelion, ?a plant of the genus Crepis or Leontodon; houndes wed, ?black horehound, stinking horehound Ballota nigra; ~ fenkel, ?giant fennel Ferula communis; ?or = ~ fenel, hog's fennel Peucedanum officinale; also stinking camomile Anthemis cotula.

In surnames and place names [see Smith PNElem. 1.268].