- Main Entry:
- 1foot
- Pronunciation:
-
\ˈfu̇t\
- Function:
- noun
- Inflected Form(s):
- plural feet \ˈfēt\ also foot
- Etymology:
- Middle English fot, from Old English fōt; akin to Old High German fuot foot, Latin ped-, pes, Greek pod-, pous
- Date:
- before 12th century
1: the terminal part of the vertebrate leg upon which an individual stands2: an invertebrate organ of locomotion or attachment; especially : a ventral muscular surface or process of a mollusk3: any of various units of length based on the length of the human foot; especially : a unit equal to 1⁄3 yard and comprising 12 inches —plural foot used between a number and a noun <a 10-foot pole> —plural feet or foot used between a number and an adjective <6 feet tall> — see weight table4: the basic unit of verse meter consisting of any of various fixed combinations or groups of stressed and unstressed or long and short syllables5 a: motion or power of walking or running : step <fleet of foot> b: speed, swiftness <showed early foot>6: something resembling a foot in position or use: as a: the lower end of the leg of a chair or table b (1): the basal portion of the sporophyte in mosses (2): a specialized outgrowth by which the embryonic sporophyte especially of many bryophytes absorbs nourishment from the gametophyte c: a piece on a sewing machine that presses the cloth against the feed 7foot plural chiefly British : infantry8: the lower edge (as of a sail)9: the lowest part : bottom <the foot of the hill>10 a: the end that is lower or opposite the head <the foot of the bed> b: the part (as of a stocking) that covers the foot11foots plural but sing or plural in constr : material deposited especially in aging or refining : dregs12foots plural : footlights
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at one's feet : under one's spell or influence
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foot in the door : the initial step toward a goal
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off one's feet : in a sitting or lying position
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on foot : by walking or running <tour the campus on foot>
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on one's feet 1: in a standing position2: in an established position or state3: in a recovered condition (as from illness) <back on my feet>4: in an extemporaneous manner : while in action <good debaters can think on their feet>
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to one's feet : to a standing position <brought the crowd to its feet>
