Etymologically
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shoe

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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
  • 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