ankle-biter

noun

A small child.

OriginEnglish biter ← Middle English ancle ← Old English *ancol →
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Meanings

nounankle-biter (plural ankle-biters)

plural ankle-biters

  1. slangA small child.
  2. slangA small dog, especially a poorly-behaved one.
  3. slangA relatively minor, irritating problem or task.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
leg biterrugratsprogsquirttoddlertyke

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂eng-
  2. Proto-Germanic*ankulaz
  3. Proto-West Germanic*ankul
  4. Old English*ancol
  5. Middle Englishancle
  6. Englishankle
  7. Englishbiter
  8. Englishankle-biter

From ankle + biter.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

ankle-biter. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ankle-biter

MLA

“ankle-biter.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ankle-biter. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ankle-biter,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ankle-biter.

Source: ankle-biter on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.