Old English ancleow "ankle," from PIE root *ang-/*ank- "to bend" (see angle (n.)). The modern form seems to have been influenced by Old Norse ökkla or Old Frisian ankel, which are immediately from the Proto-Germanic form of the root (cf. Middle High German anke "joint," German Enke "ankle"); the second element in the Old English, Old Norse and Old Frisian forms perhaps suggests claw (cf. Dutch anklaauw), or it may be from influence of cneow "knee," or it may be diminutive suffix -el. Middle English writers distinguished inner ankle projection (hel of the ancle) from the outer (utter or utward).
ankle an·kle (āng'kəl)
n.
The joint between the leg and foot in which the tibia and fibula articulate with the talus.
The region of the ankle joint.
The anklebone.
To walk: I ankled over to the bar
Related Terms[perhaps in part from angle, cited fr 1890s in sense of ''to walk'']
in humans, hinge-type, freely moving synovial joint between the foot and leg. The ankle contains seven tarsal bones that articulate (connect) with each other, with the metatarsal bones of the foot, and with the bones of the lower leg. The articulation of one of the tarsal bones, the ankle bone (talus, or astragalus), with the fibula and tibia of the lower leg forms the actual ankle joint, although the general region is often called the ankle. The chief motions of the ankle are flexion and extension. Like other synovial joints (those joints in which fluid is present), the ankle is subject to such diseases and injuries as bursitis and synovitis.