Dogs - Word Corner - Brief Article

New Internationalist, Nov, 2003 by Susan Watkin

The origin of dog is not known but until it came into common use around the 1500s hound was the main English word for the animal. Hound is related to the Greek word kuon, and to canine, kennel, cynic, quinsy and canary. The followers of Diogenes were called cynics as they were dog-like (kynikos). Quinsy (formerly known as cynanche), an inflammation of the throat, is from the Greek for 'dog strangling'. The Romans named what we now know as the Canary Islands Canariae Insulae (Isle of Dogs) because of the large dogs found on the island. Many breeds of dog are named after their place of origin: Afghan, Chihuahua (Mexico): Husky (a contraction of Eskimo); Labrador (the place-name in Canada is from the Portuguese lavrado, labourer); Pekinese; Saluki (Yemen).

The final word must go to our four-legged friends. Wuff wuff; oua-oua (French); bu-bu (Italian); mung-mung (Korean); and wan-wan (Japanese).