: any of various usually small energetic dogs originally used by hunters to dig for small game and engage the quarry underground or drive it out
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Short-haired breeds like pit bulls, Dalmatians, boxers, greyhounds, and pugs are especially prone to getting burned, as are hairless canines like the American hairless terrier and Chinese crested dog.—Angela Haupt, Time, 23 June 2025 Kingston, an 11-year-old Yorkshire terrier missing for five years, sits on the deck of the Kappa Sigma fraternity house at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss., in April.—Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 3 May 2025 Newsweek previously spoke to a woman who has trained her Yorkshire terrier to use a selection of sound buttons.—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025 Piper, a photogenic 4-year-old terrier, pit bull mix, wants nothing but the safety and love of a good home and a family.—Tj MacIas, Kansas City Star, 10 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for terrier
Word History
Etymology
Middle English terryer, terrer, from Anglo-French (chen) terrer, literally, earth dog, from terre earth, from Latin terra
: any of various usually small energetic dogs originally used by hunters to drive game animals from their holes
Etymology
Middle English terryer "a small dog used for hunting burrowing animals," from early French (chen) terrer, literally "earth dog," from terre "earth," derived from Latin terra (same meaning)
Word Origin
Today most terriers are kept as pets. However, there was a time when the dogs were widely used for hunting. Terriers are usually small dogs with short legs, and they were used to dig game animals such as foxes, badgers, and weasels out of their holes. The dogs were also trained to go into a hole after a game animal and drive it out. The French name for these dogs was chen terrer, meaning "earth dog." English borrowed only the word terrier, which can be traced back to Latin terra, meaning "earth."
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