spaniel

IPA/ˈspænjəl/
KK[spˈænjəl]IPA/ˈspænjəl/

spaniel — noun

  • spanielsingular
  • spanielsplural

1. A breed of dog with a soft, wavy coat and long, drooping ears, originally traine

1.nounB1
Definition

A breed of dog with a soft, wavy coat and long, drooping ears, originally trained to help hunters find birds or other small animals.

Example

Mei-Lin takes her spaniel for a walk through the park every morning before work.

spaniel + for a walk — common activity pattern with pets

The children cheered when the spaniel brought the ball back to them.

Common collocations
  • cocker spaniel / springer spaniel / Cavalier King Charles spaniel
  • spaniel puppy / spaniel breeder / spaniel owner
  • floppy ears / drooping ears / silky coat
  • spaniel wags its tail
  • spaniel flushes / retrieves / fetches
Synonyms
  • gun dog

    broader category that includes spaniels, retrievers, and setters; used mostly in hunting contexts

  • bird dog

    informal American term for any dog trained to locate birds; less precise than 'spaniel'

Grammar Patterns

a/the spaniel

[number] spaniels

spaniel + noun (e.g. spaniel puppy, spaniel breeder)

Usage Note

There are several varieties of spaniel, such as the cocker spaniel, springer spaniel, and Cavalier King Charles spaniel. In everyday speech, speakers often shorten these to 'cocker' or 'springer'.

Common Mistakes

She bought a cute spaniel dog.
She bought a cute spaniel.
'spaniel' already names the breed; adding 'dog' is redundant.
The spaniels hairs are very soft.
The spaniel's hair is very soft.
'spaniel' is a countable noun; use the possessive form correctly with an apostrophe.

Word family

  • cocker (spaniel)
    nounB1
  • springer (spaniel)
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four terms refer to types of dogs, but they differ in appearance and original purpose. A spaniel is a medium-sized dog with long, drooping ears and a silky coat, bred to flush birds from bushes. A retriever is larger, with a thicker water-resistant coat, bred to retrieve downed waterfowl — the Labrador and Golden Retriever are common examples. A setter is a lean, long-haired gun dog that freezes or 'sets' when it finds game, pointing at it for the hunter. A hound is a broader category including scent hounds (like beagles) and sight hounds (like greyhounds), used to track game by smell or speed rather than flushing or retrieving. For example, if you adopt a gentle, floppy-eared companion from a rescue, it is probably a spaniel mix. If you meet a muscular dog that loves swimming and carrying things, you are more likely looking at a retriever.

spaniel ↗retriever ↗setter ↗hound ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • cocker spaniel
  • springer spaniel
  • Cavalier King Charles spaniel
  • spaniel puppy
  • spaniel breeder
  • spaniel owner
  • floppy ears
  • silky coat

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'spaniel' comes from Old French 'espaignol', meaning 'Spanish (dog)', which traces back to Latin 'Hispaniolus' ('Spanish'). The breed is believed to have originated in Spain, and the name travelled into English during the Middle Ages as these dogs became popular hunting companions across Europe.