ankle

CEFRA2

/ˈæŋ.kəl/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    The joint connecting your foot to the lower part of your leg.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    To cyclically angle the foot at the ankle while pedaling, to maximize the amount of work applied to the pedal during each revolution.

Examples

  • I missed a step on the stairs and I'm afraid I sprained my ankle.

  • I tripped on a stone, twisting my ankle.

At a glance

Sits at A2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
1
Citations
2

Also pronounced

  • [ˈæŋ.kʰəl] ~ [ˈæŋ.kʰl̩]
  • [ˈeɪ̯ŋ.kʰəl] ~ [ˈeɪ̯ŋ.kʰl̩]

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. To walk.

  2. The skeletal joint which connects the foot with the leg; the uppermost portion of the foot and lowermost portion of the leg, which contain this skeletal joint.

More examples

In context

  • You're going to fall and sprain your ankle wearing sandals with such huge platforms.

  • 1951, Anthony Buckeridge, Jennings’ Little Hut, London: Collins, 1973, Chapter 15, p. 178, Supposing we all ankled over to the huts […]

  • 1966, P. G. Wodehouse, Plum Pie, London: Everyman, 2007, Chapter 6, p. 158, He ankled round, accordingly, to her house and his ring at the bell was answered by Wilberforce, her butler […]

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

She twisted her blank while running on the uneven trail.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English ankel, ancle, ankyll, from Old English ancol (compare anclēow (“ankle”) > Modern English anclef, ancliff, ancley), from Proto-West Germanic *ankul, from Proto-Germanic *ankulaz (“ankle”); akin to Icelandic ökkla, ökli, Danish and Swedish ankel, Dutch enklaauw, enkel, German Enkel, Old Norse akka, Old Frisian anckel, and perhaps Old High German encha, ancha (“thigh, shin”), from the Proto-Germanic *ankijǭ (“ankle, joint”). Compare with Sanskrit अङ्ग (aṅga, “limb”), अङ्गुरि (aṅguri, “finger”), Latin angulus. Compare haunch and Greek prefix ἀγκυλο- (ankulo-, “joint, crooked, bent”). Doublet of angulus and angle.