hoof

Meaning

Noun

1. The tip of a toe of an ungulate such as a horse, ox or deer, strengthened by a thick keratin covering.
2. (slang) The human foot.
3. An ungula.

Verb

1. To trample with hooves.
2. (colloquial) To walk.
3. (informal) To dance, especially as a professional.
4. (colloquial) To kick, especially to kick a football a long way downfield with little accuracy.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/hʊf/

Etymology

From Middle English hoof, hof, from Old English hōf, from Proto-Germanic *hōfaz (compare West Frisian hoef, Dutch hoef, German Huf, Danish hov, Norwegian hov, Swedish hov), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱoph₂ós (compare Sanskrit शफ (śaphá, “hoof, claw”), Avestan 𐬯𐬀𐬟𐬀 (safa, “hoof”), possibly Czech, Polish kopyto).