dachshund (English)

Where does "dachshund" come from?

The English noun 'dachshund' was borrowed from the German 'Dachshund', meaning 'badger dog'[1]. The German compound dates back to the 15th century and combines 'Dachs', meaning 'badger', and 'Hund', meaning 'dog', reflecting the historic use of the breed for hunting badgers[2]. The component 'Dachs' traces through Middle High German and Old High German 'dahs' to Proto-West Germanic '*þahs' and Proto-Germanic '*þahsuz'[4][5]. Meanwhile, 'Hund' descends from Middle High German 'hunt'[3].

Open questions

The Proto-Germanic word for badger has traditionally been derived from Proto-Indo-European roots related to weaving and constructing tunnels, but later scholarship instead suggests a loanword from a western European substrate. [6]

Full etymology tree

dachshund (English), 'A certain breed of dog having short legs and a long trunk, including standard-sized, miniature (smooth-haired, long-haired, and short-haired) varieties.'
- borrowed Dachshund (German), 'dachshund (sausage dog, wiener dog)'
  - compound Dachs (German), 'badger'
    - inherited dahs (Old High German)
      - inherited *þahs (Proto-West Germanic), 'badger'
        inherited *þahsuz (Proto-Germanic), 'badger'
        derived *toskos (Proto-Indo-European)
  - compound Hund (German), 'dog, hound'
    - inherited hunt (Middle High German), 'dog (Canis familiaris)'
      - inherited hunt (Old High German), 'dog'

Ancestors

Dachshund (German)
Dachs (German)
Hund (German)

Descendants and derived words

dorgi (English)

Sources

Updated September 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris