hoof
nounverbattested in dialogue
- United States//hʊf//
- United States//huːf//
The tip of a toe of an ungulate such as a horse, ox or deer, strengthened by a thick keratin covering.
noun
- 1
The tip of a toe of an ungulate such as a horse, ox or deer, strengthened by a thick keratin covering.
[…] I ſee Th’ Inſulting Tyrant prancing o’er the Field Strow’d with Rome’s Citizens, and drench’d in Slaughter, His Horſe’s Hoofs wet with Patrician Blood.
- 2
slangThe human foot.
Get your hooves off me!
He is a huge man, six feet four on bare hoofs and composed of two hundred and seventy pounds of solid bone and muscle.
- 3
datedAn ungula.
- 4
The heel of a loaf of bread.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱoph₂ós Proto-Germanic *hōfaz Proto-West Germanic *hōf Old English hōf Middle English hof English hoof Inherited from Middle English hof, houf, houve, hove, from Old English hōf, from Proto-Germanic *hōfaz (compare West Frisian hoef, Dutch hoef, German Huf, Danish hov, Norwegian hov, Swedish hov), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱoph₂ós (compare Sanskrit शफ (śaphá, “hoof, claw”), Avestan 𐬯𐬀𐬟𐬀 (safa, “hoof”), possibly Czech, Polish kopyto).
verb
- 1
To trample with hooves.
- 2
To walk.
- 3
informalTo dance, especially as a professional.
- 4
To kick, especially to kick a football a long way downfield with little accuracy.
More minutes drifted by. Pierrot had another chance - and missed. At one point the ball fell to Andy Robertson and instead of taking his time and clearing, he hoofed it away as if his life depended on it. His football life, for sure.
Forms
- plural
- hooves, hoofs
- past tense
- hoofed
- past participle
- hoofed
- present participle
- hoofing
- third person singular
- hoofs
hoof · The tip of a toe of an ungulate such as a horse, ox or deer, strengthened by a thick keratin covering.
hook · A rod bent into a curved shape, typically with one end free…Hook · A surname.hooked · Having a sharp curve at the end; resembling a hook.