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Glite Dictionary
Welsh terrier

Welsh terrier

4.8
A small dog with rough fur bred in Wales for hunting
  • noun
  • /wɛlʃ ˈtɛriər/
translation icon : terrier galés
  • His Welsh terrier loves to dig in the garden and chase squirrels.

Examples

  • My Welsh terrier loves to play in the garden.

  • The Welsh terrier is known for its friendly temperament and lively spirit.

  • After much research, they decided to adopt a Welsh terrier from the local shelter.

  • The Welsh terrier is known for its friendly nature.

  • After much research, they decided to adopt a Welsh terrier from the local shelter.

  • His Welsh terrier loves to dig in the garden and chase squirrels.

  • The Welsh terrier is known for its friendly temperament and lively spirit.

Surface Forms

Welsh terrier singular
Welsh terriers plural

Morphology

Welsh + terrier

The meaning 'a breed of terrier from Wales' is directly derivable from combining 'Welsh' (pertaining to Wales) with 'terrier' (a small hunting dog). This nationality/adjective + animal naming pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Welsh terrier comes from dogs first bred in Wales for hunting; Welsh shows the country and terrier comes from dogs that went into the 'earth' or holes to chase small animals. So the name today means this small, rough-haired, lively hunting breed.