. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
you have here. The definition of the word
will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Pronunciation
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”).
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
Translations
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
Etymology 3
Compare Latin terō (“to rub, to rub away”), terebra (“a borer”).
Noun
terrier (plural terriers)
- An auger or borer.
References
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
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
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
Noun
terrier m (plural terriers)
- hole
- (fox's) earth; (rabbit) hole or burrow; (badger's) sett
- terrier (dog)
Derived terms
References
- Nouveau Petit Larousse illustré. Dictionnaire encyclopédique. Paris, Librairie Larousse, 1952, 146th edition
Further reading
Anagrams
Italian
Etymology
Borrowed from English terrier, from French (chien) terrier.
Noun
terrier m (invariable)
- terrier (dog)
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From French (chien) terrier.
Noun
terrier m (definite singular terrieren, indefinite plural terriere, definite plural terrierne)
- a terrier dog breed
References
Anagrams
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From French (chien) terrier.
Noun
terrier m (definite singular terrieren, indefinite plural terrierar, definite plural terrierane)
- a terrier dog breed
References
- “terrier” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
- “terrier”, in Norsk Ordbok: ordbok over det norske folkemålet og det nynorske skriftmålet, Oslo: Samlaget, 1950-2016
Anagrams
Polish
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from French terrier, from Middle French terrier, from Old French chien terrier, from Medieval Latin terrārius.
Pronunciation
Noun
terrier m animal
- Alternative spelling of terier
Declension
Derived terms
Further reading
- terrier in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- terrier in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Portuguese
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English terrier, from French (chien) terrier.
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /te.ʁiˈe/ , (faster pronunciation) /teˈʁje/
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /te.ʁiˈe/ , (faster pronunciation) /teˈʁje/
Noun
terrier m or f by sense (plural terriers)
- terrier (a small breed of dog)
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from English terrier, from French (chien) terrier.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /teˈrjeɾ/
- Rhymes: -eɾ
- Syllabification: te‧rrier
Noun
terrier m (plural terriers or #)
- terrier (dog)
Further reading
Swedish
Etymology
Borrowed from English terrier.
Noun
terrier c
- terrier
Declension
Further reading