: 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 WebBefore long, Escola was bantering in costume on late-night shows and attending the Met Gala in a white Thom Browne suit accessorized with a purse in the shape of a dachshund.—Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2024 Early on a sunny morning in February, one of the dachshunds scratched at the door in the kitchen which led into the porch.—David Owen, The New Yorker, 27 July 2024 Set in a neoclassical townhouse from the early 1900s, the Olivia Foundation draws on the private collection of a Mexico City-native couple who, for the sake of discretion, named the project after one of their eight dogs, a long-haired dachshund.—Michael Snyder, TIME, 25 July 2024 One of his dogs, a long-haired dachshund named Henry, desperately needed dental care.—Doc Louallen, ABC News, 25 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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