NYT Dictionary

ANKLE

/ˈaŋ.kəl/
NounVerbAN-klean-kle · 2 syllablesGrade 4

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2025, 2026

Meaning

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.

Etymology

Origin: Old English

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eng- Proto-Germanic *-ulaz Proto-Germanic *ankulaz Proto-West Germanic *ankul Old English *ancol Middle English ancle English ankle 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 enkel, enklaauw, 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.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

articulationboundarybowlegsbuttcalfcervixclinchclosurecnemisconnection

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 2 recorded puzzles:

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