What does foot mean?
The foot is the body part at the end of the leg, consisting of the ankle, sole, and toes, that bears a person's weight when standing and walking. The word also denotes a unit of length equal to twelve inches, still standard in the United States and widely used in Britain for measuring height and short distances. Beyond these core senses, 'foot' names the base of an object — the foot of a hill, bed, or staircase — and, in poetry, a rhythmic unit of verse such as the iamb. As a verb, to foot means to pay for something, as in 'foot the bill'. The term carries little emotional connotation but appears in many idioms, including 'on foot', 'put your foot down', and 'get cold feet'. Its deep roots in Germanic language and its role in everyday measurement make it one of English's most versatile and enduring words.
The lower extremity of the leg below the ankle, used for standing and walking; also a unit of length equal to twelve inches; also the bottom or lowest part of something.
"She rested the foot of the ladder against the wall."
The unit is abbreviated 'ft' and the plural after numerals is normally 'feet'.
To pay for something, especially an expense incurred by oneself or others.
"Who is going to foot the bill for dinner?"
Most often used in the fixed expression 'foot the bill'; rarely used outside this context.
Standard plural is 'feet' for both the body part and the unit of measure; however, 'foot' is kept in compound adjectives ('a six-foot wave') and in some set phrases such as 'a three-foot rule'.
"The cliff rose more than a hundred feet above the shore."
The word 'foot' has measured the world for millennia — the Roman mile was literally 'mille passus', a thousand paces, counted on human feet.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of foot
'Foot' comes from Old English 'fōt', which derives from Proto-Germanic '*fōts', the source of German 'Fuß', Dutch 'voet', and the North Germanic languages' 'fot/fotur'. These all trace back ultimately to the same Indo-European root that gave Latin 'pes' and Greek 'pous', making words like 'pedal', 'podiatrist', and 'tripod' distant cognates. The unit of measurement reflects the ancient practice of using the human foot as a standard of length, standardized over centuries into the modern twelve-inch foot.
Related word forms
How foot is actually used
As a unit of measurement, the plural is conventionally 'feet' after numbers greater than one ('six feet tall'), though 'foot' is retained in attributive use ('a six-foot fence') and in some traditional expressions such as heights. In British English, personal height is commonly given in feet and inches despite metrication elsewhere. The verb form is regular ('footed', 'footing').
Easily confused with foot
'Foot' is singular (one foot) while 'feet' is its plural (two or more feet), and 'feet' is also used as the plural unit of measurement.