: any of a breed of long-bodied, short-legged dogs of German origin that occur in short-haired, long-haired, and wirehaired varieties
Illustration of dachshund
Examples of dachshund in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebOne of his dogs, a long-haired dachshund named Henry, desperately needed dental care.—Doc Louallen, ABC News, 25 June 2024 Riding shotgun, as always, was his canine co-pilot, Lily, a short-haired, silver-dappled dachshund.—Kathleen Parker, Washington Post, 23 June 2024 Another picture shows Hockney’s dachshund resting his cinnamon brown head on an aqua green sofa, and another shows Hockney posing in a doorway of the Maharaja of Udaipur’s palace in the late ’70s.—Samantha Conti, WWD, 28 June 2024 Pet parents spend the most on golden retrievers, beagles, german shepherds, labrador retrievers, and dachshunds, according to Empower.—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 23 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for dachshund
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: any of a breed of dogs of German origin with a long body, very short legs, and long drooping ears
Etymology
from German Dachshund "dachshund," literally, "badger dog," from Dachs "badger" and Hund dog
Word Origin
The dachshund is a dog with short legs and a long history. The breed was developed in Germany more than a thousand years ago to hunt burrowing animals such as badgers. With its short legs and long, powerful body, the dachshund could follow a badger right down into its hole. It could even fight with the badger underground. The German name for the breed was Dachshund, a compound of Dachs, meaning "badger," and Hund, "dog." This German name was borrowed directly into English.
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