Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
noun
- (in humans) the joint between the foot and the leg, in which movement occurs in two planes.
- the corresponding joint in a quadruped or bird; hock.
- the slender part of the leg above the foot.
noun
- the joint connecting the leg and the footSee talus 1
- the part of the leg just above the foot
Old English ancleow “ankle,” from PIE root *ang-/*ank- “to bend” (see angle (n.)). The modern form seems to have been influenced by Old Norse ökkla or Old Frisian ankel, which are immediately from the Proto-Germanic form of the root (cf. Middle High German anke “joint,” German Enke “ankle”); the second element in the Old English, Old Norse and Old Frisian forms perhaps suggests claw (cf. Dutch anklaauw), or it may be from influence of cneow “knee,” or it may be diminutive suffix -el. Middle English writers distinguished inner ankle projection (hel of the ancle) from the outer (utter or utward).
n.
- The joint between the leg and foot in which the tibia and fibula articulate with the talus.
- The region of the ankle joint.
- The anklebone.