toe

Pronunciation

• IPA: /təʊ/ (UK); /toʊ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English to, inherited from Old English tā (“toe”), plural tān,^[2][3][4] a contraction of *tāhe (Mercian tāhæ),^[3][2] from Proto-Germanic *taihwō(n),^[3][2] source also of Old Norse tá, Middle Dutch tee (Dutch teen) and Old High German zēha (German Zehe).^[3][2][4] Its further origin is unknown,^[4] and Etymonline does not connect it with Latin digitus or Greek daktylos,^[3] although Merriam-Webster gives digitus as akin.^[5] In early Germanic it may have applied to fingers as well.^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Each of the digits of the human foot: about 725 in the OED;^[6] Word Origins notes that it is recorded as early as AD 700.^[7]

Semantic evolution

A toe of an animal or bird is from 1386,^[6] and the front of a horse's hoof from 1566.^[6] The verb, to provide with a toe, is from the early 17th century,^[8][4] and to touch or reach with the toes from 1813, first in toe the mark, which seems to be nautical;^[3] toe the line is by 1826,^[3] from racers placing their toes on the starting line, hence to accept the authority of a group.^[7] In Australian and New Zealand slang toe is speed (1963).^[6][9]

Timeline

• c. 725 – a toe.^[6]
• 1386 – an animal's toe.^[6]
• 1566 – the front of a hoof.^[6]
• 1813 – toe the mark (verb).^[3]
• 1826 – toe the line.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Any of the digits at the end of the foot.
2. The part of a sock, shoe or boot that covers the toes.
3. The front part of the head of a golf club or hockey stick.
4. The lowest part of something, such as an embankment or dam.
5. (Australia, slang) Speed.

Verb

1. To touch, kick or reach with the toe.
2. To drive a nail at an angle, or fasten with nails so driven.
3. To stand or move with the toes pointing in a particular direction: to toe in.

Word family

• toeless
• toelike
• hammertoe
• toecap
• toehold
• toepiece
• toeplate

Related words

• tiptoe
• toenail
• toerag
• digit

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins