səl, -soʊl noun British.
a canvas shoe with a rubber sole; gym shoe; sneaker.
Also, plim·sol, plim·sole.
Origin:
1905–10; perhaps so called from fancied resemblance of the sole to a Plimsoll mark
1905–10; perhaps so called from fancied resemblance of the sole to a Plimsoll mark
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To plimsoll
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World English Dictionary
plimsoll or plimsole (ˈplɪmsəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| (Brit) gym shoe, Also called: sandshoe a light rubber-soled canvas shoe worn for various sports | |
| [C20: so called because of the resemblance of the rubber sole to a Plimsoll line] | |
| plimsole or plimsole | |
| —n | |
| [C20: so called because of the resemblance of the rubber sole to a Plimsoll line] | |
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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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Plimsoll
is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
Plimsoll
"mark on the hull of a British ship showing how deeply she may be loaded," 1881, from Samuel Plimsoll (1824-98), M.P. for Derby and advocate of shipping reform (which were embodied in the Merchant Shipping Act of 1876). Sense extended 1907 to "rubber-soled canvas shoe" (equivalent of Amer.Eng. sneakers)
because the band around the shoes that holds the two parts together reminded people of a ship's Plimsoll line; sense perhaps reinforced by sound assoc. with sole.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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