ankle English · revision 10764

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1000|origins=ang anclēow|origins=non *ankul-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈæŋ.kəl/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|ang|anclēow]] (before 800), replaced in Middle English by forms from Old Norse (Old Icelandic ǫkkla, from *ankulan),^(Barnhart 1988)^(NODE 1998)^(Hoad 1986) cognate with Old High German anchal, enkil, Dutch enkel and German Enkel.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) They go back to an Indo-European root meaning to bend, also in Latin angulus, corner (see [[angle]]).^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) The second part of anclēow may be a folk-etymological claw, or due to cnēow, knee, or a diminutive suffix.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The joint connecting the foot with the leg: about 1000 in the OED.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The Middle English spellings ancle and ankle are from the 14th century,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) and ancle long remained common.^(OED 1989) The verb, to walk, is slang from 1926,^(OED 1989) and in cycling, to use the ankles well is from 1896.^(OED 1989) Merriam-Webster dates the slang verb ankle, to walk, from 1917.^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 800 – anclēow.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 14th century – ancle, ankle.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1896 – to ankle (cycling).^(OED 1989)

+ * 1926 – to ankle, walk (slang).^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The [[joint]] connecting the [[foot]] with the [[leg]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # The narrow part of the leg just above the foot.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[anklebone]]

+ * [[anklet]]

+ * [[ankle-deep]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[angle]]

+ * [[anchor]]

+ * [[angler]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}