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basset hound

A short-haired hunting dog of a breed originating in France and having a long body, short legs, and long drooping ears.

[French basset, short, basset hound, diminutive of basse, feminine of bas, low; see BASE².]

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basset hound

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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