The ancient Romans divided dogs into three classes:

(1) Canes villatici, House-dogs;
(2) Paatorales, Shepherd-dogs;
(3) Venatici, Sporting-dogs;

Within the last division, three distinct types were recognized:

(a) Pugnaces, pugnacious dogs;
(b) Nare sagaces, dogs running by scent;

The Romans would have put a Bloodhound in “B,” the group of dogs that hunt together by scent known as Sagaces. The word is from the Latin word provides the same root as the word “sagacious,” referring to the qualities of keen discernment and sound judgment – certainly terms descriptive of the Bloodhound’s powers of scent.