coursing

coursing
/kawr"sing, kohr"-/, n.
1. the act of a person or thing that courses.
2. the sport of pursuing game with dogs that follow by sight rather than by scent.
[1530-40; COURSE + -ING1]

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sport
      the pursuit of game by hounds hunting by sight and not by scent. In modern, organized coursing competitions, two greyhounds at a time pursue one hare. The dogs (dog) are judged on performance as well as on their success in catching the hare: points are awarded for outracing the other dog and catching up with the hare, for turning it at a right angle, for wrenching (turning it at less than a right angle), for tripping the hare, and for a kill. Coursing was fully described about AD 150 by the Greek philosopher and historian Arrian in his Cynegeticus (translated as Arrian on Hunting).

      The sport became very popular in England, Ireland, and Scotland during the 16th century, and the first known set of rules was drawn up by Thomas Howard, duke of Norfolk. The “laws of the leash,” as they were called, laid down principles upon which the sport has since been based.

      The first known coursing club came into existence in 1776 at Swaffham through the enterprise of Lord Orford. The Waterloo Cup, the Derby of coursing, was established in 1836 and is held annually at the Altcar Club, near Liverpool. The event was named for the Waterloo Hotel in Liverpool, where the first promoters met. The National Coursing Club was formed in 1858.

      Coursing was taken up in the United States early in the 19th century. An American Coursing Board governed the sport from 1886 to 1906, when the National Coursing Association (NCA) came into being. Spring and fall coursing meetings are held by the association in Abilene, Kan. The sport is also still practiced in parts of Australia.

      Dog, or greyhound, racing with a mechanical lure is a popular outgrowth of coursing.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Coursing — is the pursuit of game or other animals by dogs chiefly greyhounds and other sighthounds catching their prey by speed, running by sight and not by scent. Coursing was a common hunting technique, practised by the nobility, the landed and wealthy,… …   Wikipedia

  • Coursing — Cours ing (k?rs ?ng), n. The pursuit or running game with dogs that follow by sight instead of by scent. [1913 Webster] In coursing of a deer, or hart, with greyhounds. Bacon [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • coursing — [kuʀsiŋ] n. m. ÉTYM. 1828; mot angl., « chasse ». ❖ ♦ Anglic. Chasse à courre au lièvre (avec des lévriers). Course de lévriers. 0 Ainsi un lévrier trop malin devine les « trucs » du coursing et y devient fraudeur. Montherlant, les Bestiaires,… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • coursing — index fluvial Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • coursing — [kôr′siŋ] n. 1. the action of a person or thing that courses 2. hunting with hounds trained to follow game by sight rather than scent …   English World dictionary

  • Coursing — Greyhounds auf der Rennbahn Windhundrennen sind ein Hundesport für Windhunde. Es gibt zwei Arten des Windhundrennens, nämlich das Rennen auf einer festen Rennbahn, bei dem es ausschließlich um die Geschwindigkeit der teilnehmenden Hunde geht, und …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Coursing — Poursuite à vue sur leurre La poursuite à vue sur leurre (PVL) ou coursing est une épreuve où 2 lévriers, du 10e groupe, poursuivent un leurre sur un terrain naturel de 1 à 3 hectares (à la différence du racing qui se déroule sur cynodrome).… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Coursing — Course Course, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Coursed} (k?rst)); p. pr. & vb. n. {Coursing}.] 1. To run, hunt, or chase after; to follow hard upon; to pursue. [1913 Webster] We coursed him at the heels. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. To cause to chase after or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • coursing — [[t]kɔ͟ː(r)sɪŋ[/t]] N UNCOUNT Coursing is a sport in which rabbits or hares are hunted with dogs …   English dictionary

  • Coursing joint — Joint Joint (joint), n. [F. joint, fr. joindre, p. p. joint. See {Join}.] [1913 Webster] 1. The place or part where two things or parts are joined or united; the union of two or more smooth or even surfaces admitting of a close fitting or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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