'anklet' originates from English, formed by adding the French diminutive suffix '-et' to 'ankle', where 'ankle' referred to the joint between the leg and the foot and '-et' meant 'little' or 'small'.

'anklet' developed in Middle English by combining the word 'ankle' (from earlier English forms) with the Old French/Norman diminutive '-et', and it eventually became the modern English word 'anklet'.

Initially it meant 'a small ornament for the ankle' and over time has retained essentially the same meaning as the modern 'anklet' (and its plural 'anklets').