Etymology

terrier

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Today it means: 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). Full definition →

Old French chien terrier ← Medieval Latin terrarius ← Latin terra
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terrier · noun1

  1. Latin · derived fromterra“earth”
  2. Medieval Latin · derived fromterrarius“of earth”
  3. Old French · derived fromterrier“of earth”
  4. Old French · derived fromchien terrier“terrier dog”
  5. English todayterrier

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”).

terrier · noun2

  1. Latin · derived fromterra“earth”
  2. Medieval Latin · derived fromterrarius“of earth”
  3. Old French · derived fromterrier“of earth”
  4. Anglo-Norman · borrowed fromterrier
  5. English todayterrier

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman terrier, from Old French terrier (“of earth”, adjective), from Medieval Latin terrarius (“of earth”), from Latin terra (“earth”).

terrier · noun3

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

Words from the same roots

Latinterra all →

terraterrariumterraceousterracultureterraqueousterrella

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.