ankle

noun

an·​kle ˈaŋ-kəl How to pronounce ankle (audio)
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 Advertisement Even the playoffs have brought setbacks, from Freddie Freeman’s sprained ankle to inconsistent starting pitching to two elimination games in the NL Division Series, plus a squandered chance to clinch the pennant in Game 5 of the NLCS on Friday. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024 Star first baseman Freddie Freeman, for instance, wasn’t in the lineup Sunday and has missed two of the past three games because of a high right ankle sprain. Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 21 Oct. 2024 Freeman sprained his ankle September 26, and has struggled since. Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024 Intruder rapes Vicki, then steals her money and car The man led the family to the bedroom and tied up Vicki’s ankles. Stephanie Warsmith and Paula Schleis, USA TODAY, 19 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ankle 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ankle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of ankle was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near ankle

Cite this Entry

“Ankle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ankle. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

ankle

noun
an·​kle ˈaŋ-kəl How to pronounce ankle (audio)
: the joint between the foot and the leg
also : the region of this joint

Medical Definition

ankle

noun
an·​kle ˈaŋ-kəl How to pronounce ankle (audio)
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)

More from Merriam-Webster on ankle

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