ankle

noun

an·kle ˈaŋ-kəl

: the joint between the foot and the leg

also : the region of this joint

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

Examples of ankle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The William Winter Boot: These boots took five wears to break in fully and have very little arch or ankle support. —

Jessica MacDonald, Travel + Leisure, 21 Nov. 2023 This dress is a versatile gem, perfect for pairing with strappy heels for a glamorous touch or ankle boots for a chic, autumnal vibe. —

Poppy Morgan, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2023 Mann earned a starting job before injuring an ankle in practice days before the season opener last month. —

Andrew Greif, Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2023 Before our tour, we're told to survey our hands, forearms and ankles for scrapes or scratches into which radioactive contamination could slip. —

Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2023 They are made of polyester and acrylic fiber, which gives them a nice stretch, and according to shoppers, the elastic ankle cuff prevents compression of your legs and offers up a comfortable experience for everyday wear. —

Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 10 Nov. 2023 Without Davis and Jaxson Hayes, who missed his second straight game because of an ankle injury, the Lakers’ frontcourt was again thin. —

Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2023 So far, 46 U.S. service members have been identified as having signs of traumatic brain injuries, or minor wounds such as perforated eardrums, tinnitus and rolled ankles, Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. —

Matt Seyler, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2023 These calf-high boots keep you warm and cozy and ensure there’s no winter chill slipping into that little gap between the ankles of your pants and your shoes. —

Savannah Smith, Rolling Stone, 7 Nov. 2023 See More

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-.