bloodhound

Meaning

Noun

• A large scenthound famed for its ability to follow a scent many days old, over vast distances. This dog is often used as a police dog to track missing people, fleeing suspects, or escaped prisoners.
• A detective or other person skilled at finding people or clues.
• A bloodthirsty person.

Origin

• From Middle English blodhound, blodhond; equivalent to blood + hound. Cognate with Dutch bloedhond, Middle Low German blōthunt, German Bluthund, Danish blodhund, Swedish blodhund. The detective sense follows from the dog's ability to follow a trail.