• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / How did the Terrier get its name and What does the word “Terrier” mean in French?

How did the Terrier get its name and What does the word “Terrier” mean in French?

February 28, 2020 by Karen Hill

Hunting dogs are used for different purposes, according to their several natures, and the peculiar property that distinguishes the class of terriers is their ability to dig out burrowing animals from their lairs.

It is this earth moving attribute that has given the class its name.

An old name was terrier dog, which is a half-translation of the French chien terrier.

If fully translated, we would have had burrow dog, for the French word terrier has the meaning “a burrow, a hole in the ground.”

It comes from their terre, “earth,” which is from the Latin terra, “earth.”

Related Facts

  • History of Dogs
  • What Type of Dog is a Staffordshire Terrier and How Did it Get its Name?
  • How Did the Jack Russell Terrier Get its Name and Where did it Come From?
  • History of Golf
  • How do animal trainers teach guide dogs to cross at the green light if they are color blind?
  • How Did French Fries Get Their Name and What Are French Fries Called In France?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the word “argosy” come from and What does argosy mean?
Next Post: Where does the term “penny-a-liner” come from and What does penny-a-liner mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy