Search Result for "terrier": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (1)

1. any of several usually small short-bodied breeds originally trained to hunt animals living underground;


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Terrier \Ter"ri*er\, n. [CF. L. terere to rub, to rub away, terebra a borer.] An auger or borer. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Terrier \Ter"ri*er\, n. 1. [F. terrier, chien terrier, from terre the earth, L. terra; cf. F. terrier a burrow, LL. terrarium a hillock (hence the sense, a mound thrown up in making a burrow, a burrow). See Terrace, and cf. Terrier, 2.] (Zool.) One of a breed of small dogs, which includes several distinct subbreeds, some of which, such as the Skye terrier and Yorkshire terrier, have long hair and drooping ears, while others, at the English and the black-and-tan terriers, have short, close, smooth hair and upright ears. [1913 Webster] Note: Most kinds of terriers are noted for their courage, the acuteness of their sense of smell, their propensity to hunt burrowing animals, and their activity in destroying rats, etc. See Fox terrier, under Fox. [1913 Webster] 2. [F. terrier, papier terrier, LL. terrarius liber, i.e., a book belonging or pertaining to land or landed estates. See Terrier, 1, and cf. Terrar.] (Law) (a) Formerly, a collection of acknowledgments of the vassals or tenants of a lordship, containing the rents and services they owed to the lord, and the like. (b) In modern usage, a book or roll in which the lands of private persons or corporations are described by their site, boundaries, number of acres, or the like. [Written also terrar.] [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Dog \Dog\ (d[add]g or d[o^]g), n. [AS. docga; akin to D. dog mastiff, Dan. dogge, Sw. dogg.] 1. (Zool.) A quadruped of the genus Canis, esp. the domestic dog (Canis familiaris). Note: The dog is distinguished above all others of the inferior animals for intelligence, docility, and attachment to man. There are numerous carefully bred varieties, as the akita, beagle, bloodhound, bulldog, coachdog, collie, Danish dog, foxhound, greyhound, mastiff, pointer, poodle, St. Bernard, setter, spaniel, spitz, terrier, German shepherd, pit bull, Chihuahua, etc. There are also many mixed breeds, and partially domesticated varieties, as well as wild dogs, like the dingo and dhole. (See these names in the Vocabulary.) [1913 Webster +PJC] 2. A mean, worthless fellow; a wretch. [1913 Webster] What is thy servant, which is but a dog, that he should do this great thing? -- 2 Kings viii. 13 (Rev. Ver. ) [1913 Webster] 3. A fellow; -- used humorously or contemptuously; as, a sly dog; a lazy dog. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster] 4. (Astron.) One of the two constellations, Canis Major and Canis Minor, or the Greater Dog and the Lesser Dog. Canis Major contains the Dog Star (Sirius). [1913 Webster] 5. An iron for holding wood in a fireplace; a firedog; an andiron. [1913 Webster] 6. (Mech.) (a) A grappling iron, with a claw or claws, for fastening into wood or other heavy articles, for the purpose of raising or moving them. (b) An iron with fangs fastening a log in a saw pit, or on the carriage of a sawmill. (c) A piece in machinery acting as a catch or clutch; especially, the carrier of a lathe, also, an adjustable stop to change motion, as in a machine tool. [1913 Webster] 7. an ugly or crude person, especially an ugly woman. [slang] [PJC] 8. a hot dog. [slang] [PJC] Note: Dog is used adjectively or in composition, commonly in the sense of relating to, or characteristic of, a dog. It is also used to denote a male; as, dog fox or g-fox, a male fox; dog otter or dog-otter, dog wolf, etc.; -- also to denote a thing of cheap or mean quality; as, dog Latin. [1913 Webster] A dead dog, a thing of no use or value. --1 Sam. xxiv. 14. A dog in the manger, an ugly-natured person who prevents others from enjoying what would be an advantage to them but is none to him. Dog ape (Zool.), a male ape. Dog cabbage, or Dog's cabbage (Bot.), a succulent herb, native to the Mediterranean region (Thelygonum Cynocrambe). Dog cheap, very cheap. See under Cheap. Dog ear (Arch.), an acroterium. [Colloq.] Dog flea (Zool.), a species of flea (Pulex canis) which infests dogs and cats, and is often troublesome to man. In America it is the common flea. See Flea, and Aphaniptera. Dog grass (Bot.), a grass (Triticum caninum) of the same genus as wheat. Dog Latin, barbarous Latin; as, the dog Latin of pharmacy. Dog lichen (Bot.), a kind of lichen (Peltigera canina) growing on earth, rocks, and tree trunks, -- a lobed expansion, dingy green above and whitish with fuscous veins beneath. Dog louse (Zool.), a louse that infests the dog, esp. H[ae]matopinus piliferus; another species is Trichodectes latus. Dog power, a machine operated by the weight of a dog traveling in a drum, or on an endless track, as for churning. Dog salmon (Zool.), a salmon of northwest America and northern Asia; -- the gorbuscha; -- called also holia, and hone. Dog shark. (Zool.) See Dogfish. Dog's meat, meat fit only for dogs; refuse; offal. Dog Star. See in the Vocabulary. Dog wheat (Bot.), Dog grass. Dog whelk (Zool.), any species of univalve shells of the family Nassid[ae], esp. the Nassa reticulata of England. To give to the dogs, or To throw to the dogs, to throw away as useless. "Throw physic to the dogs; I'll none of it." --Shak. To go to the dogs, to go to ruin; to be ruined. [1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

terrier n 1: any of several usually small short-bodied breeds originally trained to hunt animals living underground
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

TERRIER, Eng. law. A roll, catalogue or survey of lands, belonging either to a single person or a town, in which are stated the quantity of, acres, the names of the tenants, and the like. 2. By the ecclesiastical law an inquiry is directed to be made from time to time, of the temporal rights of the clergyman of every parish, and to be returned into the registry of the bishop: this return is denominated a terrier. 1 Phil. & Am. Ev. 602, 603.