foot English · revision 2719

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 725, Beowulf|origins=ine-pro *pṓds}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /fʊt/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|fot]], foot,^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024) [[inh|ang|fōt]] (plural fēt),^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[gem-pro|*fōts]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[ine-pro|*pṓds|alt=*ped-|t=foot]].^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) It is cognate with Old Frisian and Old Saxon fōt, Dutch voet, German Fuß, Old Norse fótr and Gothic fōtus,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) and outside Germanic with [[la|pēs|t=foot]] (genitive pedis), Greek poús, Lithuanian pėdà “footprint”, Armenian otn and Sanskrit pā́t.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) The plural feet is an instance of i-mutation.^(Etymonline) The verb is from the noun.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old English, about 725 in ''Beowulf'',^(Barnhart 1988)^(Cresswell 2021) with the OED's first example of the part of the leg below the ankle from about 950.^(OED 1989) Being at the bottom of something is also Old English, about 950, and ''under foot'', “subject to another”, about 825.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The linear measure, regarded as the length of a man's foot, was already Old English (before 1000);^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) its length varied, and the most usual medieval English foot was the 13.2-inch foot of the ancient Mediterranean.^(Etymonline) In this sense the plural is often ''foot''.^(Etymonline) The metrical foot, translating Latin pēs and Greek poús, is late Old English.^(Etymonline) The lowest part of something, such as a bed or a page, is from before 1300.^(OED 1989) ''Foot'' for foot soldiers is from 1568.^(OED 1989) The verb meant “to dance” or “to go on foot” from about 1400,^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) and “to add up and set the total at the foot” from the late 15th century, hence ''foot the bill'' (1848).^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) ''Feet of clay'' is from the early 19th century, after Daniel's image.^(Cresswell 2021) ''My foot!'', expressing contemptuous disbelief, is from 1923.^(OED 1989) ''Footage'' is from 1892.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 725 – Old English fōt.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 825 – ''under foot'', subject.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * before 1000 – a linear measure.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1400 – verb, to dance; to go on foot.^(Etymonline)

+ * late 15th century – verb, to add up.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1568 – foot soldiers.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1848 – ''foot the bill''.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1892 – ''footage''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1923 – ''my foot!''.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The part of the leg below the [[ankle]], on which a person or animal stands and walks.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # The lowest part or base of something; the end of a bed where the feet lie.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A unit of length equal to 12 [[inch|alt=inches]] (30.48 cm).^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # A unit of [[rhythm]] in verse, made of stressed and unstressed syllables.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # Soldiers who fight on foot; [[infantry]].^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To pay: ''foot the bill''.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # To go on foot; to dance.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[fetch]]

+ * [[fetter]]

+ * [[pedal]]

+ * [[pedestrian]]

+ * [[podium]]

+ * [[octopus]]

+ * [[antipodes]]

+ * [[pawn]]

+ * [[impede]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}