alaunt
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old French alans, alanz, itself from Old Spanish alán, itself possibly from Gothic *𐌰𐌻𐌰𐌽𐍃 (*alans), designating the Alan tribe of Eastern Iranian origin who were active in Western Europe during the Migration Period and were associated with the breed.
Noun
alaunt (plural alaunts)
- A domesticated dog of an extinct breed related to the modern bulldog and mastiff, or modern breeds created in imitation of it.
- 1917 trans., Yale University, Transactions - The Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences, Volume 21[1], page 133:
- The gentle alaunt is built exactly like a greyhound, except that he has a short, thick head.
- 2007, Robert Low, An Ancient History of Dogs: Spaniels Through the Ages[2], page 121:
- The alaunt was considered a reckless animal, and had been known to attack domestic animals, or even its owner.
- 2011, Ed Judah, The Lion Wakes[3], page 65:
- There was a streak through the grass, a fast-moving brindle arrow, rough-haired and uncombed. It struck the flank of the alaunt in midleap ...