buskin

[ buhs-kin ]
See synonyms for: buskinbuskins on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a thick-soled, laced boot or half boot.

  2. Also called cothurnus. the high, thick-soled shoe worn by ancient Greek and Roman tragedians.

  1. buskins, stockings decorated with gold thread worn by a bishop at a Pontifical Mass.

  2. tragic drama; tragedy.: Compare sock1 (def. 3).

  3. the art of acting, especially tragic acting.

  4. a woman's low-cut shoe with elastic gores at the sides of the instep, popular in the early 20th century.

Origin of buskin

1
1495–1505; probably alteration of Middle French bro(u)sequin, of uncertain origin

Words Nearby buskin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use buskin in a sentence

  • We are pleased to find a small man without the buskin, and obvious sentiments stated without affectation.

    Familiar Studies of Men and Books | Robert Louis Stevenson
  • At this point o'erpower'd I fail, Unequal to my theme, as never bard Of buskin or of sock hath fail'd before.

  • Better to wear mask and buskin than to mar by any modernity of expression the calm majesty of Melpomene.

    Reviews | Oscar Wilde
  • Tyrian maidens are wont ever to wear the quiver, to tie the purple buskin high above their ankle.

  • Such an undertaking by no means befits the low-heeled buskin of modern fiction.

    Barchester Towers | Anthony Trollope

British Dictionary definitions for buskin

buskin

/ (ˈbʌskɪn) /


noun
  1. (formerly) a sandal-like covering for the foot and leg, reaching the calf and usually laced

  2. Also called: cothurnus a thick-soled laced half boot resembling this, worn esp by actors of ancient Greece

  1. the buskin mainly literary tragic drama

Origin of buskin

1
C16: perhaps from Spanish borzeguí; related to Old French bouzequin, Italian borzacchino, of obscure origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012