Where does “terrier” come from?

terrier (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from French terrier, from Middle French terrier, from Old French chien terrier, from Old French terrier, from Medieval Latin terrarius, from Latin Terra, from Proto-Indo-European ters- — dry.

terrier (Norwegian Nynorsk): a terrier dog breed

Definitions

  1. a terrier dog breed

Ancestry of “terrier”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchterrierrelating to the ground, earth or land;...
2Middle Frenchterrier—
3Old Frenchchien terrierterrier dog
4Old Frenchterrier—
5Medieval Latinterrariusof earth
6LatinTerraTerra goddess of the Earth
7Proto-Indo-Europeanters-dry
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ters- →