An alternative or archaic spelling of 'greyhound,' a slender, fast dog breed used for racing and hunting.
Middle English 'greihound,' possibly from Old Norse 'grey' (hunting dog) or from 'grei' (female of the dog). The modern spelling 'greyhound' replaced this earlier variant, though both forms appear in historical texts.
The word's true origin is debated—it might come from Norse or even be folk-etymologized from 'Greek hound,' showing how words get creatively reinterpreted when their real origins are forgotten.
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