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ankle

 - 7 dictionary results

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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Slang Dictionary
ankle

  1. n.
    an attractive woman or girl. (Typically with some.) : Now, there's some ankle I've never seen around here before.
  2. in.
    to walk [somewhere]. : I have to ankle down to the drugstore.
  3. in.
    to walk away from one's employment; to leave. (See also walk.) : I didn't fire her. I told her she could ankle if she wanted.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

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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Medical Dictionary

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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Medical Dictionary

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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Encyclopedia

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.

Learn more about ankle with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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