terrier

English

Etymology 1

(deprecated template usage)

Borrowed from Middle French, from Old French chien terrier (“terrier dog”) from chien (“dog”) + Old French terrier (from Medieval Latin terrarius (“of earth”) from Latin terra (“earth”)).

Alternative forms

• tarrier (obsolete) (the dog)

Noun

terrier (plural terriers)

1. 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).
2. (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.
3. (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

• periplus
• periegesis

Derived terms

Derived terms

• Airedale terrier
• American hairless terrier
• Bedlington Terrier
• Boston terrier
• bull terrier
• Dandie Dinmont

• Fox terrier
• Irish terrier
• Jack Russell terrier
• Kerry blue terrier
• Pit bull terrier

• Rat Terrier
• Scottish terrier
• Sealyham terrier
• Skye terrier
• teacup terrier

• • toy fox terrier
• West Highland white terrier
• Wheaten terrier
• wire-haired terrier
• Yorkshire terrier

Translations

dog

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 㹴犬 (zh) (gěngquǎn)

• Czech: teriér m
• Dutch: terriër (nl) m
• Finnish: terrieri (fi)
• French: terrier (fr) m
• German: Terrier (de) m
• Interlingue:
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Lithuanian: terjeras m
• Malay: anjing terrier
• Navajo: łééchąąʼí hadaalzheehígíí
• Polish: terier (pl)
• Portuguese: terrier (pt) m
• Russian: терье́р (ru) m (terʹjér)
• Scottish Gaelic: abhag f
• Vietnamese: chó sục, chó đào đất

Etymology 2

Compare Latin terō (“to rub, to rub away”), terebra (“a borer”).

Noun

terrier (plural terriers)

1. An auger or borer.

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “terrier”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967

Anagrams

• retirer

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Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from English terrier, from French (chien) terrier.

Noun

terrier c (singular definite terrieren, plural indefinite terriere)

1. terrier (a small breed of dog)

Declension

Declension of terrier

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	terrier	terrieren	terriere	terrierne
genitive	terriers	terrierens	terrieres	terriernes

References

• “terrier” in Den Danske Ordbog

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French

Etymology

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)

1. (archaic) relating to the ground, earth or land
2. enumerating seignorial rights, notably in livre terrier (a register of land)

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)

1. hole
2. (fox's) earth; (rabbit) hole or burrow; (badger's) sett
3. terrier (dog)

Derived terms

• 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

Anagrams

• retirer

Further reading

• “terrier”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English terrier, from French (chien) terrier.

Noun

terrier m (uncountable)

1. terrier (dog)

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Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English terrier, from French (chien) terrier.

Noun

1. terrier (a small breed of dog)

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Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from English terrier, from French (chien) terrier.

Noun

terrier m (plural terriers or terrier)

1. terrier (dog)