footing

[foot-ing] Origin

foot·ing

[foot-ing]
noun
1.
the basis or foundation on which anything is established.
2.
the act of one who moves on foot, as in walking or dancing.
3.
a secure and established position.
4.
a place or support for the feet; surface to stand on; foothold.
5.
a firm placing of the feet; stability: He regained his footing.
EXPAND
6.
Building Trades, Civil Engineering. the part of a foundation bearing directly upon the earth.
7.
position or status assigned to a person, group, etc., in estimation or treatment.
8.
mutual standing; reciprocal relation: to be on a friendly footing with someone.
9.
entrance into a new position or relationship: to gain a footing in society.
10.
a fee demanded from a person upon entrance into a trade, society, etc.
11.
the act of adding a foot to something, as to a stocking.
12.
that which is added as a foot.
13.
the act of adding up a column of figures.
14.
the total of such a column.
COLLAPSE

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English; see foot, -ing1

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Footing is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

foot

[foot] noun, plural feet for 1–4, 8–11, 16, 19, 21; foots for 20; verb
noun
1.
(in vertebrates) the terminal part of the leg, below the ankle joint, on which the body stands and moves.
2.
(in invertebrates) any part similar in position or function.
3.
such a part considered as the organ of locomotion.
4.
a unit of length, originally derived from the length of the human foot. It is divided into 12 inches and equal to 30.48 centimeters. Abbreviation: ft., f.
5.
foot soldiers; infantry.
EXPAND
6.
walking or running motion; pace: swift of foot.
7.
quality or character of movement or motion; tread; step.
8.
any part or thing resembling a foot, as in function, placement, shape, etc.
9.
Furniture.
a.
a shaped or ornamented feature terminating a leg at its lower part.
b.
any of several short legs supporting a central shaft, as of a pedestal table.
10.
a rim, flange, or flaring part, often distinctively treated, serving as a base for a table furnishing or utensil, as a glass, teapot, or candlestick.
11.
the part of a stocking, sock, etc., covering the foot.
12.
the lowest part, or bottom, of anything, as of a hill, ladder, page, etc.
13.
a supporting part; base.
14.
the part of anything opposite the top or head: He waited patiently at the foot of the checkout line.
15.
the end of a bed, grave, etc., toward which the feet are placed: Put the blanket at the foot of the bed, please.
16.
Printing. the part of the type body that forms the sides of the groove, at the base.
17.
the last, as of a series.
18.
that which is written at the bottom, as the total of an account.
19.
Prosody. a group of syllables constituting a metrical unit of a verse.
20.
Usually, foots.
a.
sediment or dregs.
21.
Nautical. the lower edge of a sail.
COLLAPSE
verb (used without object)
22.
to walk; go on foot (often followed by it): We'll have to foot it.
23.
to move the feet rhythmically, as to music or in dance (often followed by it).
24.
(of vessels) to move forward; sail: to foot briskly across the open water.
verb (used with object)
25.
to walk or dance on: footing the cobblestones of the old city.
26.
to perform (a dance): cavaliers footing a galliard.
27.
to traverse on or as if on foot.
28.
to make or attach a foot to: to foot a stocking.
29.
to pay or settle: I always end up footing the bill.
EXPAND
30.
to add (a column of figures) and set the sum at the foot (often followed by up).
31.
to seize with talons, as a hawk.
32.
to establish.
33.
Archaic. to kick, especially to kick away.
34.
Obsolete. to set foot on.
COLLAPSE
35.
get/have/ a/one's foot in the door, to succeed in achieving an initial stage or step.
36.
get off on the right/wrong foot, to begin favorably or unfavorably: He got off on the wrong foot with a tactless remark about his audience.
37.
have one foot in the grave. grave1 (def. 5).
38.
on foot, by walking or running, rather than by riding.
39.
put one's best foot forward,
a.
to attempt to make as good an impression as possible.
b.
to proceed with all possible haste; hurry.
EXPAND
40.
put one's foot down, to take a firm stand; be decisive or determined.
41.
put one's foot in/into it, Informal. to make an embarrassing blunder. Also, put one's foot in/into one's mouth.
42.
set foot on/in, to go on or into; enter: Don't set foot in this office again!
43.
under foot, in the way: That cat is always under foot when I'm getting dinner.
COLLAPSE

Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English fōt; cognate with German Fuss; akin to Latin pēs (stem ped-), Greek poús (stem pod-)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To Footing
Collins
World English Dictionary
footing (ˈfʊtɪŋ)
 
n
1.  the basis or foundation on which something is established: the business was on a secure footing
2.  the relationship or status existing between two persons, groups, etc: the two countries were on a friendly footing
3.  a secure grip by or for the feet
4.  the lower part of a foundation of a column, wall, building, etc
5.  chiefly (US)
 a.  the act of adding a column of figures
 b.  the total obtained
6.  rare a fee paid upon entrance into a craft, society, etc, or such an entrance itself

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

foot
O.E. fot, from P.Gmc. *fot (cf. O.N. fotr, Du. voet, Ger. Fuß, Goth. fotus "foot"), from PIE *pod-/*ped- (cf. Avestan pad-; Skt. pat, acc. padam "foot;" Gk. pos, Attic pous, gen. podos; L. pes, gen. pedis "foot;" Lith. padas "sole," peda "footstep"). Plural form feet is an instance of
EXPAND
i-mutation. Of a bed, grave, etc., first recorded c.1300. The linear measurement of 12 inches is first recorded in O.E., from the length of a man's foot. To foot a bill is attested from 1848, from the process of tallying the expenses and writing the figure at the bottom ("foot") of the bill. Theatrical footlights is first attested 1836. Colloquial exclamation my foot! expressing "contemptuous contradiction" is first attested 1923, probably a euphemism for my ass, in the same sense, which dates back to 1796. The metrical foot (O.E., translating L. pes, Gk. pous in the same sense) is commonly taken as a reference to keeping time by tapping the foot. To get off on the right foot is from 1909; to put one's best foot foremost first recorded 1849.

footing
"position, stance," originally from archery (1545), from foot.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

foot (f&oobreve;t)
n. pl. feet (fēt)

  1. The lower extremity of the vertebrate leg that is in direct contact with the ground in standing or walking.

  2. A unit of length in the U.S. Customary and British Imperial systems equal to 12 inches (30.48 centimeters).

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
foot   (ft)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural feet (fēt)
A unit of length in the US Customary System equal to 1/3 of a yard or 12 inches (30.48 centimeters). See Table at measurement.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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