terrier
A dog from a group of small, lively breeds, originally bred for the hunting of burrowing prey such as rats, rabbits, foxes, and even otters; this original function is reflected in some of their names (e.g. rat terrier).
Other meanings
Someone displaying terrier-like qualities such as determined pursuit.
A collection of acknowledgments of the vassals or tenants of a lordship, containing the rents and services they owed to the lord, etc.
A kind of
- hunting dog
Kinds of terrier
- bull terrier
- rat terrier
- wire-haired terrier
- silky terrier
Word history
From Latin "terra" (earth).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “terrier” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.