shoe

English

Etymology

From Middle English scho, sho, from Old English sċōh (“shoe”), from Proto-West Germanic *skōh, from Proto-Germanic *skōhaz (“shoe”), of unclear etymology; possibly a derivation from *skehaną (“to move quickly”), from Proto-Indo-European *skek- (“to move quickly, jump”).

Eclipsed non-native Middle English sabatine, sabatoun (“shoe”) from Medieval Latin sabatēnum, sabatum (“shoe, slipper”) (compare Old Occitan sabatō, Spanish zapato (“shoe”), French sabot (“wooden shoe, clog”), Italian ciabatta).

The archaic plural shoon is from Middle English shon, from Old English scōn, scōum (“shoes”, dative plural) and scōna (“shoes'”, genitive plural); it is cognate with Scots shuin (“shoes”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: sho͞o, IPA^(key): /ʃuː/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ʃu/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uː
• Homophones: chou, shoo, shew, SHU

Noun

shoe (plural shoes or (archaic, dialectal) shoon or (obsolete) shoen)

1. A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of leather or synthetic material. Shoes generally do not extend above the ankle, as opposed to boots, which do.

   Get your shoes on now, or you'll be late for school.

   • Foot definition

     A biological structure found in many animals that is used for locomotion and that is frequently a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg. (1 of 28 foot definitions)

   • Leather definition

     A tough material produced from the skin of animals, by tanning or similar process, used e.g. for clothing. (1 of 8 leather definitions)

   • Plastic definition

     A synthetic, solid, hydrocarbon-based polymer, whether thermoplastic or thermosetting. (1 of 6 plastic definitions)

   • Synthetic definition

     Of, or relating to synthesis. (1 of 6 synthetic definitions)

   • Ankle definition

     The skeletal joint which connects the foot with the leg; the uppermost portion of the foot and lowermost portion of the leg, which contain this skeletal joint.

   • Boot definition

     A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg.

     1. A kind of sports shoe worn by players of certain games such as cricket and football.

     (1 of 20 boot definitions)
2. A piece of metal designed to be attached to a horse's foot as a means of protection; a horseshoe.

   Throw the shoe from behind the line, and try to get it to land circling (a ringer) or touching the far stake.

   • Horseshoe definition

     The U-shaped shoe of a horse, now typically made of metal; by extension, a representation of this used to play the game horseshoes, hung as a luck charm, etc. (1 of 5 horseshoe definitions)
3. (card games) A device for holding multiple decks of playing cards, allowing more games to be played by reducing the time between shuffles.

   • Card Game definition

     Any of the many games played with playing cards.

   • Shuffle definition

     The act of shuffling cards. (1 of 6 shuffle definitions)
4. Something resembling a shoe in form, position, or function, such as a brake shoe.

   Remember to turn the rotors when replacing the brake shoes, or they will wear out unevenly.

   1. A band of iron or steel, or a ship of wood, fastened to the bottom of the runner of a sleigh, or any vehicle which slides on the snow.
   2. A drag, or sliding piece of wood or iron, placed under the wheel of a loaded vehicle, to retard its motion in going down a hill.
   3. The part of a railroad car brake which presses upon the wheel to retard its motion.
   4. (architecture) A trough-shaped or spout-shaped member, put at the bottom of the water leader coming from the eaves gutter, so as to throw the water off from the building.
   5. A trough or spout for conveying grain from the hopper to the eye of the millstone.
   6. An inclined trough in an ore-crushing mill.
   7. An iron socket or plate to take the thrust of a strut or rafter.
   8. An iron socket to protect the point of a wooden pile.
   9. (engineering) A plate, or notched piece, interposed between a moving part and the stationary part on which it bears, to take the wear and afford means of adjustment; called also slipper and gib.
   10. Part of a current collector on electric trains which provides contact either with a live rail or an overhead wire (fitted to a pantograph in the latter case).
   11. (historical) An ingot of gold or silver shaped somewhat like a traditional Chinese shoe, formerly used in trade in the Far East.

       Synonyms: (uncountable) boat money, (uncountable) shoe money

       • 1806, Lawrence Dundas Campbell, E. Samuel, The Asiatic Annual Register, page 56:

         The finest gold among them is 100 touch, called Sycee, i. e. pure gold without alloy: so that if a shoe of gold touch 93, then it hath 93 parts of fine gold and 7 parts alloy.

   • Brake Shoe definition

     An element of a drum brake into which the friction-producing brake lining is attached. (1 of 3 brake shoe definitions)

   • Architecture definition

     The art and science of designing and managing the construction of buildings and other structures, particularly if they are well proportioned and decorated. (1 of 7 architecture definitions)

   • Engineering definition

     present participle and gerund of engineer

   • Slipper definition

     A low soft shoe that can be slipped on and off easily. (1 of 10 slipper definitions)

   • Gib definition

     A castrated male cat or ferret. (1 of 3 gib definitions)

   • Boat Money definition

     Synonym of shoe money

   • Shoe Money definition

     Money in the form of shoes (ingots of gold or silver formerly used in trade in the Far East).
5. The outer cover or tread of a pneumatic tire, especially for an automobile.

   • Tread definition

     To step or walk (on or across something); to trample. (1 of 10 tread definitions)

   • Pneumatic definition

     Of, relating to, or resembling air or other gases (1 of 6 pneumatic definitions)

   • Tire definition

     To become sleepy or weary. (1 of 5 tire definitions)

   • Automobile definition

     A type of vehicle designed to move on the ground under its own stored power and intended to carry a driver, a small number of additional passengers, and a very limited amount of other load. A car or motorcar.
6. (by extension, slang) A pneumatic tire, especially for an automobile.

Hyponyms

• See Thesaurus:shoe

Coordinate terms

• calceiform (shoe-shaped), calceolate (slipper-shaped)

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• footwear
• socks

Verb

shoe (third-person singular simple present shoes, present participle shoeing, simple past shod or shoed, past participle (obsolete) shodden or shod or shoed)

1. (intransitive) To put shoes on one's own feet.

   Men and women clothed and shod for the ascent.

   • 1995, Michel Potay, The Gospel Delivered in Arès, 26:6:

   • Put definition

     To place something somewhere. (1 of 12 put definitions)

   • Own definition

     (1 of 5 own definitions)

   • Feet definition

     plural of foot
2. (transitive) To put shoes on someone or something else's feet, especially to put horseshoes on a horse.
   • 1874, Thomas Hardy, chapter XXXII, in Far from the Madding Crowd:

     "Old Jimmy Harris only shoed her last week, and I'd swear to his make among ten thousand."

   • Someone definition

     One or some person of unspecified or indefinite identity.

   • Something Else definition

     Something exceptional, out of the ordinary, unusual. (1 of 3 something else definitions)

   • -'S definition

     (1 of 7 -'s definitions)

   • Especially definition

     In a special manner; specially. (1 of 3 especially definitions)

   • Horse definition

     A hoofed mammal, Equus ferus caballus, often used throughout history for riding and draft work. (1 of 23 horse definitions)
3. (intransitive, chiefly as past participle) To cover an object with a protective layer of material.

   The billiard cue stick was shod in silver.

   • 1930, Sax Rohmer, The Day the World Ended, published 1969, page iv. 38:

     And they had been made by the same brand of tire as that which shod the car I sat in!

   • Cover definition

     A lid. (1 of 19 cover definitions)

   • Object definition

     A thing that has physical existence but is not alive. (1 of 9 object definitions)

   • Protective definition

     Serving or intended to protect. (1 of 2 protective definitions)

   • Layer definition

     A single thickness of some material covering a surface. (1 of 5 layer definitions)

   • Material definition

     Having to do with matter; consisting of matter. (1 of 3 material definitions)

Synonyms

• (to put shoes on): calceate (obsolete)

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Anagrams

• HEOs, Heos, Hose, hoes, hose

Middle English

Pronoun

shoe

1. Alternative form of sche

   • Sche definition

     third-person singular feminine pronoun: she (1 of 2 sche definitions)