beagle

Etymology

Origin uncertain, possibly a corruption of beadle in the sense of "constable, detective"; or alternatively from Middle French beegueule (“gaping throat, noisy person, whiner”), from Old French beer (variation of Old French bayer) + Old French gueule. The French bigle is from the English.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [biːɡəɫ]
• Rhymes: -iːɡəl

Noun

beagle (plural beagles)

1. A small short-legged smooth-coated hound, often tricolored and sometimes used for hunting hares. Its friendly disposition makes it suitable as a family pet.
2. A person who snoops on others; a detective.
   • 2002, Susan Isaacs, Long Time No See, page 243

     […] whereas burying a body in the wooded area beyond the backyard was the quickest way to make a Nassau County Police Department beagle look good.

Verb

beagle (third-person singular simple present beagles, present participle beagling, simple past and past participle beagled)

1. To hunt with beagles.
   • 1933, Charles Pascoe Hawkes, Heydays: a salad of memories and impressions, page 20

     […] reading men who beagled for fresh air and exercise, impecunious hunting men who beagled for economy […]

2. To search.
   • 1997, Fletcher Pratt, A Short History of the Civil War: Ordeal by Fire, page 150

     […] Pope clapped his hand to his forehead and beagled like a maniac; he had clean forgotten Thorofare Gap.

Anagrams

• Belgae, glebae

Etymology

From English beagle.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /biːɡəl/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

beagle m (plural beagles, diminutive beagletje n)

1. beagle (dog)

Anagrams

• belage

Noun

beagle

1. beagle (dog)

Noun

beagle m (plural beagles)

1. beagle (dog)

Noun

beagle m, f (plural beagles)

1. beagle (small breed of dog)

Noun

beagle m (plural beagles)

1. beagle