terrier

Pronunciation: /ˈtɛɹiə/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun any of several usually small short-bodied breeds originally trained to hunt animals living underground

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”).

In classic literature

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
hunting dog
Narrower (hyponyms)
bedlington terrier, airedale, rat terrier, fox terrier, irish terrier, scotch terrier

A single word — an entire dictionary opens.

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning

Continue reading

Nice save! Solidify it with review →