Link Centre Dictionary

boot

UK/buːt/ US/bʉwt/ common informal slang uk us
noun (6) verb (2)

noun

1.

footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg

2.
3.

the swift release of a store of affective force

  • “they got a great bang out of it”
  • “what a boot!”
  • “he got a quick rush from injecting heroin”
  • “he does it for kicks”
Synonyms
4.

protective casing for something that resembles a leg

5.

an instrument of torture that is used to crush the foot and leg

Synonyms
6.

the act of delivering a blow with the foot

  • “he gave the ball a powerful kick”
  • “the team”
Synonyms

verb

1.

kick; give a boot to

2.

cause to load (an operating system) and start the initial processes

  • “boot your computer”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English boote, bote (“shoe”), from Old French bote (“a high, thick shoe”). Of obscure origin, but probably related to Old French bot (“club-foot”), bot (“fat, short, blunt”), from Old Frankish *butt, from Proto-Germanic *buttaz, *butaz (“cut off, short, numb, blunt”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewt-, *bʰewd- (“to strike, push, shock”); if so, a doublet of butt. Compare Old Norse butt (“stump”), Low German butt (“blunt, plump”), Old English bytt (“small piece of land”), buttuc (“end”). More at buttock and debut.

Phrases

  • a lie can run around the world before the truth can get its boots on
  • aguaro boot
  • ankle boot
  • army boot
  • Australian boot
  • ballet boot
  • Beatle boot
  • boot and rally
  • boot one
  • boot out
  • boot up the backside
  • boot up the bum

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

See also

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.