What does coonhound mean?
A coonhound is any of several breeds of scenthound developed in the United States for hunting raccoons and other small game, typically at night and by scent alone. The group includes well-known breeds such as the black and tan coonhound, the bluetick coonhound, the redbone coonhound, and the Plott hound, each tracing its lineage to foxhounds and other European hounds brought by early settlers and then refined for American conditions. Coonhounds are prized for their extraordinary noses, their stamina over rough terrain, and their distinctive, musical voices — hunters speak of a dog's bawl, chop, and bark-on-tree as individual traits to be judged. The name derives from the word 'coon,' an old shorthand for raccoon. Culturally, the coonhound is closely tied to the rural American South and Appalachia, appearing throughout folk songs, literature, and hunting tradition. For readers, the term usefully denotes both a family of working dogs and an enduring emblem of American hunting heritage.
nounA coonhound is any of several breeds of scenthound developed in the United States, originally bred to hunt raccoons and other game by tracking scent. The most familiar is the black and tan coonhound.
- Any of several American breeds of scenthound developed for hunting raccoons and other game, such as the black and tan, bluetick, redbone, and Plott coonhounds.
"The bluetick coonhound bayed joyfully as it picked up the trail through the hickory woods."
"Her bluetick coonhound won the night hunt with an impeccable trailing performance."
"As a pup, the redbone coonhound followed its nose straight into the creek and came back soaked but triumphant."
Standard pluralization applies. When referring to multiple individuals of one named breed, the plural may take the breed name capitalized (e.g., two Bluetick Coonhounds).
"Three coonhounds waited patiently by the truck, eager for the evening's hunt."
Coonhounds don't bark on the trail — they 'bawl,' 'blat,' and give the famous ringing 'bark on tree' that tells hunters their quarry has been cornered.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of coonhound
The word 'coonhound' combines 'coon,' an early American abbreviation of 'raccoon' (itself from the Algonquian-language root 'aroughcun,' meaning roughly 'one who scratches with its hands'), with 'hound,' from Old English 'hund.' The compound arose in 18th- or 19th-century America, when settlers crossed British foxhounds and other European scenthounds to produce dogs capable of tracking raccoons at night. Its closest relatives are other English hound compounds such as 'foxhound' and 'deerhound,' which follow the same naming pattern.
How coonhound is actually used
The word is chiefly North American, reflecting that coonhound breeds are American developments. It carries warm, rural connotations — associated with Southern and Appalachian hunting culture — and appears frequently in country music and folklore. The term refers to a category of related breeds rather than a single breed recognized under one standard.
Easily confused with coonhound
A raccoon is the masked mammal the dogs were bred to hunt; a coonhound is the dog itself.
A foxhound was bred to hunt foxes by scent in packs, while a coonhound was bred to trail raccoons, typically at night and often alone or in small groups.