noun
1.
the horny covering protecting the ends of the digits or encasing the foot in certain animals, as the ox and horse. See diag. under horse.
2.
the entire foot of a horse, donkey, etc.
3.
Older Use. a hoofed animal, especially one of a herd.
4.
Informal. the human foot.
verb (used with object)
5.
Slang. to walk (often followed by it ): Let's hoof it to the supermarket.
00:10
Hoof
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is lollygag. Does it mean:
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
| to flee; abscond: |
verb (used without object)
Idioms 6.
Slang. to dance, especially to tap-dance: He's been hoofing at the Palladium.
7.
on the hoof, (of livestock) not butchered; live: The city youngsters were seeing lambs on the hoof for the first time.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English (noun); Old English hōf; cognate with Old Frisian hōf, Dutch hoef, German Huf, Old Norse hōfr; compare Sanskrit śaphas
before 1000; Middle English (noun); Old English hōf; cognate with Old Frisian hōf, Dutch hoef, German Huf, Old Norse hōfr; compare Sanskrit śaphas
Related forms
hoof·i·ness, noun
hoof·less, adjective
hoof·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To hoof
Collins
World English Dictionary
hoof (huːf) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n , pl hooves, hoofs | |
| 1. | a. the horny covering of the end of the foot in the horse, deer, and all other ungulate mammals |
| b. (in combination): a hoofbeat Related: ungular | |
| 2. | the foot of an ungulate mammal |
| 3. | a hoofed animal |
| 4. | facetious a person's foot |
| 5. | on the hoof |
| a. (of livestock) alive | |
| b. in an impromptu manner: he did his thinking on the hoof | |
| —vb | |
| 6. | (tr) to kick or trample with the hoofs |
| 7. | slang hoof it |
| a. to walk | |
| b. to dance | |
| Related: ungular | |
| [Old English hōf; related to Old Norse hōfr, Old High German huof (German Huf), Sanskrit saphás] | |
| 'hoofless | |
| —adj | |
| 'hooflike | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
hoof
O.E. hof, from P.Gmc. *khofaz (cf. O.Fris. hof, Dan. hov, Du. hoef, Ger. Huf "hof"), from PIE *kopos (cf. Skt. saphah "hoof"). For spelling, see hood. Sense of "to walk" (hoof it) is first attested 1641; "to dance" is 1921 Amer.Eng. (in hoofer).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Easton
Bible Dictionary
Hoof definition
a cleft hoof as of neat cattle (Ex. 10:26; Ezek. 32:13); hence also of the horse, though not cloven (Isa. 5:28). The "parting of the hoof" is one of the distinctions between clean and unclean animals (Lev. 11:3; Deut. 14:7).
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Tip: when you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras.
They are relatives of goats, and have balance-aiding split hooves and rough hoof bottoms for natural grip.
The night before, sitting by our campfire, we'd heard distant hoof beats rumbling across the savanna.
First a hoof, then the horse's mane, then its harness.
Nearby Words
Related Questions
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
