hoof
pronunciation
How to pronounce hoof in British English:
UK [huːf]
How to pronounce hoof in American English:
US [huːf]
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- Noun:
- the foot of an ungulate mammal
- the horny covering of the end of the foot in hoofed mammals
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- Verb:
- walk
- dance in a professional capacity
Word Origin
- hoof (n.)
- Old English hof "hoof," from Proto-Germanic *hofaz (cognates: Old Saxon, Old Frisian hof, Old Norse hofr, Danish hov, Dutch hoef, German Huf "hof"), from PIE *kop- "to beat, strike" (cognates: Sanskrit saphah "hoof"). For spelling, see hood (n.1).
- hoof (v.)
- "to walk" (hoof it), first attested 1640s, from hoof (n.); slang meaning "to dance" is 1920, American English (implied in hoofer). Related: Hoofed; hoofing.
Example
- 1. You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud .
- 2. The packer is taciturn , but an elegantly thrown hitch or a well-shod hoof will warm his heart .
- 3. The rabbit , though it chews the cud , does not have a split hoof ; it is unclean for you .
- 4. And the pig , though it has a split hoof completely divided , does not chew the cud ; it is unclean for you .
- 5. They may be entered only on foot , paw or hoof .