terrier
/ˈtɛɹiə/ noun
Forms terriers tarrier
- noun 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).
- noun Someone displaying terrier-like qualities such as determined pursuit.
- noun (law, historical) A collection of acknowledgments of the vassals or tenants of a lordship, containing the rents and services they owed to the lord, etc.
- noun (law) 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.
- noun An auger or borer.
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”).
Borrowed from Anglo-Norman terrier, from Old French terrier (“of earth”, adjective), from Medieval Latin terrarius (“of earth”), from Latin terra (“earth”).
Compare Latin terō (“to rub, to rub away”), terebra (“a borer”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun An auger or borer. [Obs.]
- noun One of a breed of small dogs, which includes several distinct subbreeds, some of which, such as the Skye terrier and Yorkshire terrier, have long hair and drooping ears, while others, at the English and the black-and-tan terriers, have short, close, smooth hair and upright ears.
Etymology [CF. L. terere to rub, to rub away, terebra a borer.]
Etymology [F. terrier, chien terrier, from terre the earth, L. terra; cf. F. terrier a burrow, LL. terrarium a hillock (hence the sense, a mound thrown up in making a burrow, a burrow). See Terrace, and cf. Terrier, 2.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “terrier”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details