hoof

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 and Swedish hov), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱoph₂ós (compare Russian копы́то (kopýto, “hoof”), копа́ть (kopátʹ, “to dig”), Avestan 𐬯𐬀𐬟𐬀‎ (safa, “hoof”), Sanskrit शफ (śaphá, “hoof, claw”)).

Pronunciation

• (US) enPR: ho͝of, ho͞of, IPA^(key): /hʊf/, /huːf/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʊf, -uːf

Noun

hooves of a horse.

hoof (plural hoofs or hooves)

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.

   Get your hooves off me!

3. (geometry, dated) An ungula.

Verb

hoof (third-person singular simple present hoofs, present participle hoofing, simple past and past participle hoofed)

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

Etymology

From Dutch hoofd.

Noun

hoof (plural hoofde)

1. head

Etymology

From Middle Dutch hof, from Old Dutch hof, from Proto-Germanic *hufą.

Noun

hoof m

1. garden (an outdoor area containing one or more types of plants)