shoe

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʃuː/; /ʃu/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English scheo, sho, inherited from Old English scōh,^[2][3][4][5] from Proto-Germanic *skōhaz,^[2][3] cognate with Old Frisian skōch, Dutch schoen, German Schuh, Old Norse skór and Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐍉𐌷𐍃 (skōhs);^[2][4] it has no known cognates outside Germanic,^[2][4][3] though Etymonline mentions a possible link with PIE Proto-Indo-European *skeu- (“to cover”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A covering for the human foot: about 950 in Barnhart and the OED.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The old plural shoon lasted until the 16th century.^[3] A horseshoe is from about 1300,^[3][4] and the distinction between shoe and boot is from about 1400.^[3][6] An old shoe as something worthless is from the late 14th century.^[3][6] The custom of throwing an old shoe after someone for luck is mentioned from the 1540s and survives in shoes tied to a newly married couple's car.^[3] To stand in someone's shoes is from 1767, and another pair of shoes, a different matter, from 1861.^[3][6] The verb, to put shoes on, especially a horse, is from Old English scōgan.^[2][3]

Timeline

• c. 950 – a shoe.^[2][6]
• c. 1300 – a horseshoe.^[3]
• c. 1400 – distinguished from a boot.^[3][6]
• 1540s – throwing a shoe for luck.^[3]
• 1767 – in someone's shoes.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An outer covering for the foot, with a stiff sole, usually ending below the ankle.
2. A horseshoe.
3. Something like a shoe in shape or use, such as the part of a brake that presses on a wheel.

Verb

1. To fit a horse with shoes.
2. To provide with shoes, with shod as the past form.

Word family

• shoeless
• unshod

Related words

• horseshoe
• shoemaker
• shod
• boot
• sock

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press