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ankle - 7 dictionary results
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an⋅kle

  [ang-kuhl]
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–noun
1. (in humans) the joint between the foot and the leg, in which movement occurs in two planes.
2. the corresponding joint in a quadruped or bird; hock.
3. the slender part of the leg above the foot.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME ankel, enkel (c. MLG, D enkel, OHG anchal, enchil, ON ǫkkul); ME anclowe, OE anclēow(e) (c. MLG anclef, D anklāw, OHG anchlāo)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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an·kle   (āng'kəl)   
n.  
  1. The joint formed by the articulation of the lower leg bones with the talus. The ankle connects the foot with the leg.
  2. The slender section of the leg immediately above the foot.

[Middle English ancle, ankel, partly from Old English anclēow and partly of Scandinavian origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Ankle

An"kle\ ([a^][ng]"k'l), n. [OE. ancle, anclow, AS. ancleow; akin to Icel. ["o]kkla, ["o]kli, Dan. and Sw. ankel, D. enklaauw, enkel, G. enkel, and perh. OHG. encha, ancha thigh, shin: cf. Skr. anga limb, anguri finger. Cf. Haunch.] The joint which connects the foot with the leg; the tarsus.

Ankle bone, the bone of the ankle; the astragalus.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : ankle
Spanish: tobillo,
German: der Knöchel,
Japanese: 足首
More Translations »

ankle 
O.E. oncleow "ankle," from PIE base *ank- "to bend" (cf. Skt. angam "limb;" see angle (n.)). The modern form seems to have been infl. by O.N. ökkla or O.Fris. ankel, which are immediately from the P.Gmc. form of the PIE root (cf. M.H.G. anke "joint," Ger. Enke "ankle"); the second element in the O.E. form, also found in other Gmc. languages, may suggest claw (cf. Du. anklaauw), or it may be from infl. cneow "knee," or it may be dim. suffix -el.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: an·kle
Pronunciation: 'a[ng]-k&l
Function: noun
1 a : the joint between the foot and the leg that constitutes in humans aginglymus joint between the tibia and fibula above and the talus below called also ankle joint b : the region of the ankle joint
2 : the joint between thecannon bone and pastern (as in the horse)
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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ankle an·kle (āng'kəl)
n.

  1. The joint between the leg and foot in which the tibia and fibula articulate with the talus.
  2. The region of the ankle joint.
  3. The anklebone.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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ankle

in humans, hinge-type, freely moving synovial joint between the foot and leg. The ankle contains seven tarsal bones that articulate (connect) with each other, with the metatarsal bones of the foot, and with the bones of the lower leg. The articulation of one of the tarsal bones, the ankle bone (talus, or astragalus), with the fibula and tibia of the lower leg forms the actual ankle joint, although the general region is often called the ankle. The chief motions of the ankle are flexion and extension. Like other synovial joints (those joints in which fluid is present), the ankle is subject to such diseases and injuries as bursitis and synovitis.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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