footstep
/ˈfʊtstɛp/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.26 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The mark or impression left by a foot; a track.
noun
The indications or waypoints of a course or direction taken.
Example Sentences
- "The child watched as his footsteps in the sand were washed away by the waves."
- "To walk the footsteps of greatness requires that you start at the bottom of a long stair."
- "follow in someone's footsteps"
- "The footsteps of the students echoed in the empty hall."
- "Hear footsteps creak the floor / The shadows give away / Someone outside the door / Won't let 'em in"
- "The garden path had a small footstep down to the main walkway."
Etymology
From Middle English fotstep, fotstappe, from Old English *fōtstepe, *fōtstæpe (attested only in derivative fōtstappel (“footstep”)), equivalent to foot + step. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Foutstappe (“footstep”), West Frisian fuotstap (“footstep”), Dutch voetstap (“footstep”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: fotstep, *fōtstepe