Hunt and Hint Come From the Same Old English Verb
To hunt is to pursue and kill wild animals. The word shares a root with hint, meaning to grasp.
To hunt is to pursue and kill wild animals, or to search determinedly. Old English *huntian* comes from the same root as *hentan*, to seize, which also gave *hint* — so hunting and hinting both rest on the idea of catching hold of something. English kept a large vocabulary from the hunt: *at bay*, *in full cry*, *run to ground*, *red herring* and *give tongue* all began as hunting terms before becoming ordinary metaphors.
- To pursue game. *Hunting deer.*
- To search. *Hunt for keys.*
- A search. *A job hunt.*
- Hint — the same root. *A hint.*
- Old English — *huntian*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | hunt | Hunting. |
| Noun | hunt | A hunt. |
| Agent | hunter | A hunter. |
| Past | hunted | Hunted. |
| Related | hint | A hint. |
- They hunted through the papers.Searching.
- The hunt set off at dawn.Sport.
- Hunt and hint share a root.Etymology.
Hunting words in ordinary English
- At bay — cornered and turning to face pursuers
- In full cry — hounds giving voice on a strong scent
- Run to ground — chased into a burrow
- Red herring — a strong smell used to train or mislead hounds
- Give tongue — to bark on finding a scent
Old English *huntian*, of Germanic origin, from the same root as *hentan*, to seize.
Are hunt and hint related?
Yes. Both come from an Old English root meaning to seize, one by pursuit and one by catching a suggestion.
Where does at bay come from?
From hunting, describing an animal cornered and turning to face the hounds rather than continuing to flee.