barefoot
adjectiveadverbattested in dialogue
- United Kingdom//ˈbɛəfʊt//
- United States//ˈbɛɹfʊt//
- //ˈbɑːɹfʊt//
- //ˈbæɹfʊt//
Wearing nothing on the feet.
adjective
- 1
Wearing nothing on the feet.
After taking off their shoes, socks and sandals at the doorway, the kids were barefoot.
[L]ike Hedg-hogs vvhich / Lye tumbling in my bare-foote vvay, and mount / Their pricks at my foot-fall: ſometime am I / All vvound vvith Adders, vvho vvith clouen tongues / Doe hiſſe me into madneſſe: […]
It was firm enough to walk on, but Bradly took off his boots to preserve the leather from sea-water, and for the pleasure of barefoot walking on cool sand.
- 2
informalOf a vehicle on an icy road: not using snow chains.
- 3
slangTransmitting without the use of an amplifier.
Etymology
From Middle English barefote, barfot, from Old English bærfōt (“barefoot”), from Proto-West Germanic *baʀafōt, from Proto-Germanic *bazafōts (“barefoot”) equivalent to bare + foot. Cognate with Scots barefit (“barefoot”), Old Frisian berfōt ("barefoot"; modern Saterland Frisian boarfouts (“barefoot”, adverb)), Dutch barrevoets (“barefoot”, adverb), German barfuß (“barefoot”), Danish barfodet (“barefoot”), Swedish barfota (“barefoot”, adverb), Icelandic berfættur (“barefoot”), Yiddish באָרוועס (borves, “barefoot”).
adverb
- 1
Wearing nothing on the feet.
She likes to go barefoot in the summertime.
Ignoring the familiar discomfort, he padded barefoot across the thick white carpet toward the heavy curtains that lined the richly appointed bedroom’s wide transparisteel window.
- 2
Transmitting without the use of an amplifier.