Dictionary

spaniel en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈspænəl/ (obsolete)
• /ˈspænjəl/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English spaynol, from Old French espaigneul (modern French épagneul), from Old Occitan espaignol, from Vulgar Latin *Hispāniolus (“Spanish”), from Hispānia (“Spain”).

Meanings

1. Any of various small to medium-sized breeds of gun dog having a broad muzzle, long, wavy fur and long ears that hang at the side of the head, bred for flushing and retrieving game.
2. A cringing, fawning person.
   • Pro[theus].[…]Yet (Spaniel-like) the more ſhe ſpurnes my loue, / The more it growes, and fawneth on her ſtill; c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii], page 33, column 1:

Forms

Deriveds

Prince Charles spaniel · Irish water spaniel · Boykin Spaniel · spanieless · field spaniel · cocker spaniel · water spaniel · Clumber spaniel · English toy spaniel · Norfolk spaniel · German Spaniel · spaniellike · spanielize · King Charles spaniel · spoodle · springer spaniel · Sussex spaniel · spanielship

Descendants

spaniël

Translations (31)

es perro de aguas (dog breed) · fr épagneul (dog breed) · sv spaniel (dog breed) · hu spániel (dog breed) · sl španjel (dog breed) · cs španěl (dog breed) · de Spaniel (dog breed) · pl spanielka (dog breed) · cy sbaengi (dog breed) · ko 스패니얼 (dog breed) · bg шпаньол (dog breed) · it spaniel (dog breed) · lt spanielis (dog breed) · ms spaniel (dog breed) · gd cù-eunaich (dog breed) · cy adargi (dog breed) · io spanielo (dog breed) · th สเปเนียล (dog breed) · tr spanyel (dog breed) · lv spaniels (dog breed) · pt spaniel (dog breed) · pl spaniel (dog breed) · ja スパニエル (dog breed) · nv łééchąąʼí bijaashtélí (dog breed) · ru спание́ль (dog breed) · ga spáinnéar (dog breed) · af patryshond (dog breed) · nl spaniël (dog breed) · nrf bâsset (dog breed) · sk španiel (dog breed) · fi spanieli (dog breed)

spaniel en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈspænəl/ (obsolete)
• /ˈspænjəl/
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English spaynol, from Old French espaigneul (modern French épagneul), from Old Occitan espaignol, from Vulgar Latin *Hispāniolus (“Spanish”), from Hispānia (“Spain”).

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To follow loyally or obsequiously, like a spaniel.
   • J. Sedgewick (1840), Timon, but not of Athens, page 200: “Always spanielling at the heels of power, the mitred Dignitaries displayed, from first to last, the most rancorous hostility against her.”
   • Antony: Do we shake hands.—All come to this!—The hearts / That spaniel'd me at heels, to whom I gave / Their wishes, do discandy, melt their sweets c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):
   • David S. Bell (2000), Presidential Power in Fifth Republic France, →ISBN, page 30: “Hence Duverger's famous question about de Gaulle's first spanielling Prime Minister makes political ('M. Debré, existe-t-il?'), but not constitutional sense.”
   • The genre which differed from the world in order to advocate a better one - or the genre which spanielled at heel the sensationalist virtual reality world we will now arguably inhabit till the planet dies - had become by 2000, in triumpth or defeat or both, an institution for the telling of story. Edward James and Farah Mendlesohn (2003), The Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction, page 65

Forms