foot

UK: fʊt | US: fʊt

Definition

  1. n. the lower extremity of the leg below the ankle, on which a person stands or walks

  2. n. a unit of linear measure equal to 12 inches (30.48 cm)

  3. n. the base or bottom of something (e.g., "the foot of the mountain")

Structure
foot <lower extremity of the leg>
Etymology

The word "foot" traces back to Old English fōt, derived from Proto-Germanic fōts, which in turn comes from Proto-Indo-European pṓds. This root is shared across many Indo-European languages (e.g., Latin pes, Greek pous), reflecting the universal human focus on this essential body part. The measurement sense arose from the literal use of the human foot as an early unit of length.

Examples

  1. She hurt her foot while hiking.

  2. The table is three feet long.

  3. They camped at the foot of the hill.

  4. He tapped his foot to the music.

  5. The poem’s rhythm follows iambic pentameter—five feet per line.