grewhound

plural grewhounds

1. ScotlandobsoleteSynonym of greyhound.

   This grewhound was so swift, and of such speed, When hee was loosd his prey hee caus'd ay bleed, And this same prey brought to his lord anone, This was one cause he loved him alone;

   1814, Samuel Egerton Brydges, Restituta: Or Titles, Extracts, and Characters of Old Books in English LIterature, Revived, page 183

   2 more examples

   Leaving the Jews, and their legends, therefore out of all question, philosophy may instruct us that, as nature not only produces different classes of animals, but also great varieties in each class, not only dogs, but forty or fifty kinds of dogs, which no mixture, elevation, decline, or any other cause, will ever fabricate; for no clime, art, or chance can give the size of the mastiff to the lap-dog, or the pointer's form or scent to the grewhound; so, by analogy and actual obfervation, we know that, so far from all nations being descended of one man, there are many races of men of quite different forms and attributes.

   1786, Ancient Scotish poems, never before in print. But now published from the MS. collections of [some people]. Comprising pieces written from about 1420 till 1586, volume 1, An essay on the origin of Scotish poetry, page xxv

   The 2nd of June, haveing gotten a little more northward, and beeing on the west side of the iland, againe becalm'd, about three leagues distant from the shoare, I and Joh. WIlmote, one of the master's mates, with 6 more of our sailors, went ashore in a Biska shallop (whale-boat), purposeing to kill some deare and some wild fowle; and to that end wee took with us such dogs as wee had in our ship, viz. a grewhound, a mastiffe, and a water spaniell, and two fowleing-pieces, with shott and powder.

   1906, Martin Conway, No Man's Land: A History of Spitsbergen from Its Discovery in 1596 to the Beginning of the Scientific Exploration of the Country, →ISBN

   Synonyms: greyhound