ankle-biter

See also: ankle biter and anklebiter

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂eng-

Proto-Germanic *-ulaz

Proto-Germanic *ankulaz

Proto-West Germanic *ankul

Old English *ancol

Middle English ancle

English ankle

English bit

Proto-Indo-European *-yósder.

Proto-Italic *-āzios

Latin -āriusnom.

Latin -āriusbor.

Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz

Proto-West Germanic *-ārī

Old English -ere

Middle English -ere

English -er

English biter

English ankle-biter

From ankle + biter.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Australian):

  (file)

Noun

ankle-biter (plural ankle-biters)

1. (slang) A small child.
2. (slang) A small dog, especially a poorly-behaved one.
3. (slang) A relatively minor, irritating problem or task.

Synonyms

• (small child): see also Thesaurus:toddler.