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sandal

 - 6 dictionary results

san⋅dal

1[san-dl] noun, verb, -daled, -dal⋅ing or (especially British) -dalled, -dal⋅ling.
–noun
1. a shoe consisting of a sole of leather or other material fastened to the foot by thongs or straps.
2. any of various low shoes or slippers.
3. a light, low, rubber overshoe covering only the front part of a woman's high-heeled shoe.
4. a band or strap that fastens a low shoe or slipper on the foot by passing over the instep or around the ankle.
–verb (used with object)
5. to furnish with sandals.

Origin:
1350–1400; < F sandale; r. ME sandalie < L sandalium < Gk sandálion, equiv. to sándal(on) sandal + -ion dim. suffix

san⋅dal

2[san-dl]
–noun
sandalwood.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME sandell < ML sandalum < LGk sántalon, dissimilated var. of sándanon ≪ Skt candana
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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san·dal 1   (sān'dl)   
n.  
  1. A shoe consisting of a sole fastened to the foot by thongs or straps.

  2. A low-cut shoe fastened to the foot by an ankle strap.

  3. A rubber overshoe cut very low and covering little more than the sole of the shoe.

  4. A strap or band for fastening a low shoe or slipper on the foot.


[Middle English, from Old French sandale, from Latin sandalium, from Greek sandalion, diminutive of sandalon, sandal.]
san'daled adj.
san·dal 2   (sān'dl)   
n.  Sandalwood.

[Middle English, from Old French sandale (possibly via Late Greek santalon), from Arabic ṣandal, from Sanskrit candanam.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

sandal 
1382, from O.Fr. sandale, from L. sandalium, from Gk. sandalion, dim. of sandalon "sandal," probably from Persian.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

sandal

type of footwear consisting of a sole secured to the foot by straps over the instep, toes, or ankle. The oldest known example of a sandal, dating from around 2000 BC, is made of woven papyrus and comes from Egypt. In ancient Egypt, only important personages wore sandals, which were made of leather or wood as well as papyrus. The ancient Greeks generally went barefoot indoors but out-of-doors wore sandals that had leather, matting, or felt soles with thongs that were tied in a variety of ways. Gilded sandals sometimes were worn by those of high rank, and women's sandals sometimes had ornamental pieces on the instep. Except for slaves, who were forbidden to wear them, the Romans generally wore sandals indoors. A variety of decoration and design was developed in Rome, where large guilds of shoemakers were established; patricians' sandals, for example, were red with a moon-shaped ornament on the back.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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