terrier
English
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈtɛɹiə(ɹ)/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Middle French, from Old French chien terrier (“terrier dog”), from chien (“dog”) + Old French terrier (“of earth”, adjective), from Medieval Latin terrarius (“of earth”), from Latin terra (“earth”).
Alternative forms
- tarrier (obsolete)
Noun
terrier (plural terriers)
- A dog from a group of small, lively breeds, originally bred for the hunting of burrowing prey such as rats, rabbits, foxes, and even otters; this original function is reflected in some of their names (e.g. rat terrier).
- Someone displaying terrier-like qualities such as determined pursuit.
- 2020 November 4, Paul Bigland, “At no point have I felt unsafe...”, in Rail, page 47:
- One of the LNER dispatch staff is a terrier when it comes to masks, challenging anyone without them.
Derived terms
- Aberdeen terrier
- Airedale terrier
- American hairless terrier
- Bedlington Terrier
- Bedlington terrier
- Boston terrier
- Brazilian terrier
- bull terrier
- cairn terrier
- Cesky terrier
- Clydesdale terrier
- fox terrier
- Irish terrier
- Jack Russell terrier
- Kerry blue terrier
- Lakeland terrier
- Ormskirk terrier
- pit bull terrier
- rat terrier
- Scotch terrier
- Scottish terrier
- Sealyham terrier
- Skye terrier
- smooth fox terrier
- Staffordshire bull terrier
- teacup terrier
- toy fox terrier
- Welsh terrier
- West Highland white terrier
- wheaten terrier
- Wheaten terrier
- wire fox terrier
- wire-haired terrier
- working terrier
- Yorkshire terrier
Related terms
Translations
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Etymology 2
Borrowed from Anglo-Norman terrier, from Old French terrier (“of earth”, adjective), from Medieval Latin terrarius (“of earth”), from Latin terra (“earth”).
Noun
terrier (plural terriers)
- (law, historical) A collection of acknowledgments of the vassals or tenants of a lordship, containing the rents and services they owed to the lord, etc.
- (law) An inventory (book or roll) in which the lands of private persons or corporations are described by their site, boundaries, number of acres, etc.; a terrar.
Coordinate terms
References
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “terrier”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
- Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967
- “terrier”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
Anagrams
Danish
Etymology
Borrowed from English terrier, from French (chien) terrier.
Noun
terrier c (singular definite terrieren, plural indefinite terriere)
- terrier (a small breed of dog)
Declension
References
- “terrier” in Den Danske Ordbog
French
Etymology
Inherited from Old French, from Medieval Latin terrārius (“of earth”) from Latin terra (“earth”); or equivalent to terre + -ier. Most terrier breeds were developed to hunt vermin both over and under the ground.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /tɛ.ʁje/, /te.ʁje/
audio (CA) (file) Audio (file)
Adjective
terrier (feminine terrière, masculine plural terriers, feminine plural terrières)
- (archaic, relational) ground, earth, land
- enumerating seignorial rights, notably in livre terrier (“land register”)
Derived terms
- chien terrier (“terrier dog”)
- chienne terrier (“terrier bitch”)
- livre terrier (“land register”)
- papier terrier (“register of landed property”)
- plan terrier (“land-use plan”)
Noun
terrier m (plural terriers)
Derived terms
- chevêche des terriers
- chouette des terriers
- terrier de blaireau
- terrier de lapin
- terrier de renard
- sortir de son terrier (“break cover”)
- vivre dans son terrier (“live on one's own”)
References
- Nouveau Petit Larousse illustré. Dictionnaire encyclopédique. Paris, Librairie Larousse, 1952, 146th edition
Further reading
- “terrier”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
Italian
Etymology
Borrowed from English terrier, from French (chien) terrier.
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From French (chien) terrier.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From French (chien) terrier.
Noun
terrier m (definite singular terrieren, indefinite plural terrierar, definite plural terrierane)
- a terrier dog breed
References
Polish
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from French terrier, from Middle French terrier, from Old French chien terrier, from Medieval Latin terrārius.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈtɛ.rjɛr/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ɛrjɛr
- Syllabification: te‧rrier
- Homophone: terier
Declension
Derived terms
- terrierowy
Portuguese
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English terrier, from French (chien) terrier.
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /te.ʁiˈe/ [te.hɪˈe], (faster pronunciation) /teˈʁje/ [teˈhje]
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /te.ʁiˈe/ [te.χɪˈe], (faster pronunciation) /teˈʁje/ [teˈχje]
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /tɛˈʁje/
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from English terrier, from French (chien) terrier.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /teˈrjeɾ/ [t̪eˈrjeɾ]
- Rhymes: -eɾ
- Syllabification: te‧rrier
Further reading
- “terrier”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014