About 'at bay/to bay'

[Haihao]

Hi,

I felt there were two different meanings possible for bay in 'at bay'.

1. bark (by hounds, for example)
2. bay tree

But if bark is true then the idiom refers to 'in danger' or 'be cornered' as is while if bay tree is the favorite then it could on the contrary mean 'keep the danger away' or to that effect. I am confused with this. Could you help me out? Also, is 'to bay' as common as the former?

Thank you.

haihao

[Mister Micawber]

.
'At bay' comes from the hounds' definitive howling when they have cornered their prey. There are no bay trees involved, though the animal could have run up a tree to escape. 'To bay', meaning to bark long and rather mournfully, also appears in appropriate context. Since hunting with dogs is a slowly dwindling sport, expect to see these words and phrases used less over this next century.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Haihao]

Thank you very much, Mister Micawber, and I would like to see you more often. haihao