terrier en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈteɹiə/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
- /ˈtɛɹiə/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈtɛɾe.əɾ/ (Scotland)
- /ˈtɛɾi.ə/ (Wales)
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
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”).
Meanings
- 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.
One of the LNER dispatch staff is a terrier when it comes to masks, challenging anyone without them.
2020 November 4, Paul Bigland, “At no point have I felt unsafe...”, in Rail, page 47:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| terriers | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| tarrier | alternative | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Aberdeen terrier · bull terrier · Sealyham terrier · Kerry blue terrier · American hairless terrier · Yorkshire terrier · Boston terrier · Irish terrier · Skye terrier · taco terrier · wheaten terrier · cairn terrier · Brazilian terrier · Ormskirk terrier · Wheaten terrier · smooth fox terrier · Jack Russell terrier · Bedlington terrier · Bedlington Terrier · working terrier · Clydesdale terrier · terrierlike · pit bull terrier · Scottish terrier · fox terrier · terrierman · Lakeland terrier · Cesky terrier · teacup terrier · Welsh terrier · wire-haired terrier · rat terrier · Airedale terrier · Staffordshire bull terrier · wire fox terrier · West Highland White Terrier · toy fox terrier · Scotch terrier
Translations (22)
pl terrier (dog) · vi chó sục (dog) · gd abhag (dog) · pl terier (dog) · ja テリア (dog) · hu terrier (dog) · cs teriér (dog) · nl terriër (dog) · ko 테리어 (dog) · de Terrier (dog) · ms anjing terrier (dog) · lt terjeras (dog) · cmn 㹴犬 (dog) · pt terrier (dog) · ru терье́р (dog) · ga brocaire (dog) · cy daeargi (dog) · bg териер (dog) · fr terrier (dog) · vi chó đào đất (dog) · nv łééchąąʼí hadaalzheehígíí (dog) · fi terrieri (dog)