span·iel

(spăn′yəl)

1. Any of several breeds of small-sized to medium-sized dogs, usually having drooping ears, short legs, and a wavy, silky coat.

2. A docile or servile person.

[Middle English spainol, from Old French espaignol, Spaniard, Spanish dog, from Vulgar Latin *Hispāniōlus, Spanish, from Hispānia, Spain.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

spaniel

(ˈspænjəl)

1. (Breeds) any of several breeds of gundog with long drooping ears, a silky coat, and formerly a docked tail. See clumber spaniel, cocker spaniel, field spaniel, springer spaniel, Sussex spaniel, water spaniel

2. (Breeds) either of two toy breeds of spaniel. See King Charles spaniel

3. an obsequiously devoted person

[C14: from Old French espaigneul Spanish (dog), from Old Provençal espanhol, ultimately from Latin Hispāniolus Spanish]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

span•iel

(ˈspæn yəl)

n.

1. any of several breeds of small or medium-sized sporting dogs usu. having long, drooping ears and a long, silky coat with feathering on the legs and tail.

2. a submissive, fawning, or cringing person.

[1350–1400; Middle English spaynel < Old French espaignol Spanish (dog), probably directly < Sp español Spanish]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

spaniel - any of several breeds of small to medium-sized gun dogs with a long silky coat and long frilled ears

gun dog, sporting dog - a dog trained to work with sportsmen when they hunt with guns

Brittany spaniel - tall active short-tailed French breed of bird dog having a usually smooth orange- or liver-and-white coat

clumber, clumber spaniel - a thickset spaniel with longish silky hair

field spaniel - large usually black hunting and retrieving spaniel with a dense flat or slightly wavy coat; cross between cocker and Sussex spaniel

springer spaniel, springer - a large spaniel with wavy silky coat usually black or liver and white

cocker, cocker spaniel, English cocker spaniel - a small breed with wavy silky hair; originally developed in England

Sussex spaniel - an English breed with short legs and a golden liver-colored coat

water spaniel - any dog of two large curly-coated breeds used for hunting waterfowl

Translations

جِنْس كِلاب ذات شَعْر طويلكَلْبُ السِّبْنِيلِيّ

kokršpanělšpaněl

spaniel

spanieli

španijel

spániel

spanjóli

spaniel

スパニエル

스패니얼

spanielis

spaniels

španiel

spaniel

สุนัขพันธุ์หนึ่ง

spanyelbir köpek cinsi

giống chó spaniel

拍马屁者长毛垂耳狗

spaniel

[ˈspænjəl] N → spaniel m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

spaniel

[ˈspænjəl] n → épagneul m

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

spaniel

n → Spaniel m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

spaniel

[ˈspænjəl] n → spaniel m inv

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

spaniel

(ˈspӕnjəl) noun

a breed of dog with large ears which hang down.

spaniel

→ كَلْبُ السِّبْنِيلِيّ kokršpaněl spaniel Spaniel σπάνιελ perro de aguas spanieli épagneul španijel spaniel スパニエル 스패니얼 spaniël spaniel spaniel cão spaniel, spaniel спаниель spaniel สุนัขพันธุ์หนึ่ง spanyel giống chó spaniel 拍马屁者

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

A SILKEN-EARED Spaniel, who traced his descent from King Charles the Second of England, chanced to look into a mirror which was leaning against the wainscoting of a room on the ground floor of his mistress's house.

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There, crouched up in the farthest corner, lay the forlorn cause of my terror, in the shape of a poor little dog--a black and white spaniel. The creature moaned feebly when I looked at it and called to it, but never stirred.

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"But to return to my 'love affairs.' I must tell you that the innkeeper's spaniel had a dear little puppy, just as sensible as a human being; he was quite white, with black spots on his paws, a cherub of a puppy!

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The handsome brown spaniel that lay on the hearth retreated under the chair in the chimney-corner.

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This point, if it could be cleared up, would be interesting; if, for instance, it could be shown that the greyhound, bloodhound, terrier, spaniel, and bull-dog, which we all know propagate their kind so truly, were the offspring of any single species, then such facts would have great weight in making us doubt about the immutability of the many very closely allied and natural species--for instance, of the many foxes--inhabiting different quarters of the world.

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What else could he do but speak to her in a soft, soothing tone, as if she were a bright-eyed spaniel with a thorn in her foot?

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Neither does he encounter her on the smooth-rolled, tree shaded Boulevard, in the green and sunny park, whither she repairs clad in her becoming walking dress, her scarf thrown with grace over her shoulders, her little bonnet scarcely screening her curls, the red rose under its brim adding a new tint to the softer rose on her cheek; her face and eyes, too, illumined with smiles, perhaps as transient as the sunshine of the gala-day, but also quite as brilliant; it is not his office to walk by her side, to listen to her lively chat, to carry her parasol, scarcely larger than a broad green leaf, to lead in a ribbon her Blenheim spaniel or Italian greyhound.

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The next thing I remember is that it was morning: breakfast was just over: Sylvie was lifting Bruno down from a high chair, and saying to a Spaniel, who was regarding them with a most benevolent smile, "Yes, thank you we've had a very nice breakfast.

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It may have been--yes, by Jove, it is a curly-haired spaniel."

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One of his poems tells how Cowper scolded his spaniel Beau for killing a little baby bird "not because you were hungry," says the poet, "but out of naughtiness." Here is Beau's reply--

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When he spoke of you and the other lady, and said it seemed contrived by Heaven, or the devil, against him, that Oliver should come into your hands, he laughed, and said there was some comfort in that too, for how many thousands and hundreds of thousands of pounds would you not give, if you had them, to know who your two-legged spaniel was.'

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"Why, that's a donkey with panniers, and a spaniel, and partridges in the corn!" he exclaimed, his tongue being completely loosed by surprise and admiration.

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