terrier
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terrier¹
- /ˈtɛɹiə/ US, UK
- /ˈteɹiə/ Australia, New Zealand
- /ˈtɛɾe.əɾ/ Scotland
- /ˈtɛɾi.ə/ Wales
Rhymes with -ɛɹiə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
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 terriers · tarrier
- 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.
terrier²
- /ˈtɛɹiə/ US, UK
- /ˈteɹiə/ Australia, New Zealand
- /ˈtɛɾe.əɾ/ Scotland
- /ˈtɛɾi.ə/ Wales
Rhymes with -ɛɹiə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Anglo-Norman terrier, from Old French terrier (“of earth”, adjective), from Medieval Latin terrarius (“of earth”), from Latin terra (“earth”).
noun terriers
- A collection of acknowledgments of the vassals or tenants of a lordship, containing the rents and services they owed to the lord, etc.
- 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.
terrier³
- /ˈtɛɹiə/ US, UK
- /ˈteɹiə/ Australia, New Zealand
- /ˈtɛɾe.əɾ/ Scotland
- /ˈtɛɾi.ə/ Wales
Rhymes with -ɛɹiə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
Compare Latin terō (“to rub, to rub away”), terebra (“a borer”).
noun terriers
- An auger or borer.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: pooch, wirehaired, dog, skye, lacombe, terrar, tarrier, working terrier, rat terrier, rat dog, fox terrier, jagdterrier, harehound, rattie, tumbler, cesky terrier
Translations
Talk about this word "terrier." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/terrier. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. terrier. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/terrier "terrier." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/terrier.Cite this
@misc{terrier_2026,
title = {terrier},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/terrier},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
