ankle

noun

an·​kle ˈaŋ-kəl 

1

: the joint between the foot and the leg

also : the region of this joint

2

: the joint between the cannon bone and pastern (as in the horse)

Examples of ankle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Morgan sat out the closing minutes with an ankle injury. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Apr. 2024

They’re crafted with two webbed Velcro straps, one across the front of the foot and one around the ankle, and each is adjustable to ensure a secure fit. —Jamie Allison Sanders, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024

The new species also expands the evolutionary understanding of the group of titans, after a piece of bone from the ankle, the astragalus, was discovered with a structure researchers hadn’t seen before. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024

The fourth-year center, who missed long stretches due to a groin injury and a broken ankle, put up five points in his past five outings, each stronger than the last. —Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 14 Apr. 2024

That can help mitigate the chance of rolling your ankles. —Laura Lancaster, Outdoor Life, 11 Apr. 2024

Jalen Williams is questionable after missing the past four games with a left ankle sprain. —Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 9 Apr. 2024

The Jamal Shead era ended with a sprained ankle in the Sweet 16, but there is zero reason to doubt coach Kelvin Sampson’s ability to quickly retool his roster. —Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024

Youngest brother LaMelo Ball was an All-Star in his second season with the Charlotte Hornets but has only played a total of 58 games in the two seasons since because of multiple ankle injuries. —Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ancle, ankill, perhaps going back to an unattested Old English outcome of Germanic *ankula- (whence Old Frisian & Middle Dutch ankel "ankle," Old High German anchal) alongside *ankila- (whence 16th-century Dutch enckel "ankle," Middle Low German enkel, Old High German enchil) and *ankilōn-, *ankulōn- (whence Old High German anchla, anchala, anchila "ankle," Old Norse ǫkkla), diminutive of a base seen in *ankjōn- (whence Old High German ancha, anca "limb, nape of the neck," Old Norse ekkja "heel"), of uncertain origin

Note: Middle English ancle is often presumed to have been borrowed from a Scandinavian predecessor (with a preserved nasal consonant) of the Norse etymon attested as ǫkkla in Old Icelandic. Complicating the already complex mixture of forms given above are Middle English anclee, anclowe and their modern dialect descendants such as ancliff, ankley, which go back to Old English anclēow, anclēowe "ankle," cognate with Old Frisian onklef, anklef, Middle Dutch anclau, anclief, Old High German anchlao; these appear to show conflation with the outcomes of Germanic *klawō- "claw" (as Old English clawu, clēa "claw, hoof"; see claw entry 1). Germanic *ankula- is usually further identified with Indo-European *h₂eng-(e)lo- (see angle entry 1), though the etymon could equally well be derived within Germanic from the base *ank- seen in Old High German ancha. The latter has been connected with Sanskrit áṅgam "limb, member" and aṅgúliḥ, aṅgúriḥ "finger, toe," which appears to have suffixation similar to Germanic *ankula-.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing ankle

• ankle biter
• ankle sock

Kids Definition

ankle

noun

an·​kle ˈaŋ-kəl 

: the joint between the foot and the leg

also : the region of this joint

Medical Definition

ankle

noun

an·​kle ˈaŋ-kəl 

1

a

: the joint between the foot and the leg that constitutes in humans a ginglymus joint between the tibia and fibula above and the talus below

called also ankle joint

b

: the region of the ankle joint

2

: the joint between the cannon bone and pastern (as in the horse)