English Explanatory Dictionary

heel

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The rear part of the foot, where it joins the leg.
  2. The part of a shoe's sole which supports the foot's heel.
  3. The rear part of a sock or similar covering for the foot.
  4. The part of the palm of a hand closest to the wrist.
  5. A high-heeled shoe.
  6. The back, upper part of the stock.
  7. The thickening of the neck of a stringed instrument where it attaches to the body.
  8. The last or lowest part of anything.
  9. A crust end-piece of a loaf of bread.
  10. The base of a bun sliced in half lengthwise.
  11. A contemptible, unscrupulous, inconsiderate, or thoughtless person.
  12. A headlining wrestler regarded as a "bad guy," whose ring persona embodies villainous or reprehensible traits and demonstrates characteristics of a braggart and a bully.
verb
  1. To follow at somebody's heels; to chase closely.
  2. To cause to follow at somebody’s heels (transitive).
  3. To add a heel to, or increase the size of the heel of (a shoe or boot).
  4. To kick with the heel.
  5. To perform by the use of the heels, as in dancing, running, etc.
  6. To arm with a gaff, as a cock for fighting.
  7. To hit (the ball) with the heel of the club.
  8. To make (a fair catch) standing with one foot forward, the heel on the ground and the toe up.
  9. At Yale University, to work as a heeler or student journalist.
verb
  1. To incline to one side; to tilt.
noun
  1. The act of inclining or canting from a vertical position; a cant.
verb
  1. Alternative form of hele (“cover; conceal”).
name
  1. A part of Maasgouw in the Netherlands

Pronunciation

/hiːl/ /hil/ en-us-heel.ogg

Word forms

heel heels heeling heeled

Etymology

Etymology tree Middle English hele English heel From Middle English hele, from Old English hēla, from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄hilō, from Proto-Germanic *hanhilaz, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *hanhaz (“heel, hock”), equivalent to hock + -le. More at hock. Compare North Frisian haiel, West Frisian hyl, Dutch hiel, German Low German Hiel, Danish and Norwegian hæl, Swedish häl.

Synonyms

boot butt crust ender knob-end outsider heeling

Antonyms

babyface toe

Related words

angle of vanishing stability limit of positive stability

Derived words

Achilles' heel Achilles heel at someone's heels backheel back-heel bootheel bring someone to heel bring to heel cool one's heels couldn't pour water out of a boot with the instructions on the heel cowheel Cuban heel dig in one's heels down-at-heel down at heel down at the heel down-at-the-heel down at the heels down-at-the-heels down in the heel down in the heels free-heel skiing French heel headless over heels head over heels heel-and-toe heelball heel bar heel bone heelbone heel-dragger heeler heel-face turn heel flip heelflip heelful heel hook heelie heelies heelish heelless heel lift heel over heel pad syndrome heel palm heel-palm heelpath heelpiece heelplate heelpost heelprint heelproof heel ring heelside heel stick heel strike heelstrike heeltap heel turn heelwork
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