ankle
[ ang-kuh l ]
/ ˈæŋ kəl /
noun
(in humans) the joint between the foot and the leg, in which movement occurs in two planes.
the corresponding joint in a quadruped or bird; hock.
the slender part of the leg above the foot.
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RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
ankeny, anker, ankerite, ankh, anking, ankle, ankle biter, ankle boot, ankle jerk, ankle joint, ankle reflex
Origin of ankle
before 1000; Middle English ankel, enkel (cognate with Middle Low German, Dutch enkel, Old High German anchal, enchil, Old Norse ǫkkul); Middle English anclowe, Old English anclēow(e) (cognate with Middle Low German anclef, Dutch anklāw, Old High German anchlāo)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for ankle
British Dictionary definitions for ankle
ankle
/ (ˈæŋkəl) /
noun
the joint connecting the leg and the footSee talus 1
the part of the leg just above the foot
Word Origin for ankle
C14: from Old Norse; related to German, Dutch enkel, Latin angulus angle 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for ankle
ankle
Old English ancleow "ankle," from PIE root *ang-/*ank- "to bend" (see angle (n.)). The modern form seems to have been influenced by Old Norse ökkla or Old Frisian ankel, which are immediately from the Proto-Germanic form of the root (cf. Middle High German anke "joint," German Enke "ankle"); the second element in the Old English, Old Norse and Old Frisian forms perhaps suggests claw (cf. Dutch anklaauw), or it may be from influence of cneow "knee," or it may be diminutive suffix -el. Middle English writers distinguished inner ankle projection (hel of the ancle) from the outer (utter or utward).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for ankle
ankle
[ ăng′kəl ]
n.
The joint between the leg and foot in which the tibia and fibula articulate with the talus.
The region of the ankle joint.
The anklebone.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.