Calceus
/ˈkal.ke.us/noun
A Latin shoe or boot, especially one covering the foot and ankle.
Did you know?Latin *calceus* comes from *calx* (“heel”), the same root behind words like *calcaneus* and *calcite*, so even a humble shoe is secretly built on the language of the heel.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kʷel-
“to turn, revolve; the underlying source of a branch of words for the heel and stepping motion”
Latin
Latin
calx
“heel”
Latin
Latin
calceus
“a shoe or boot, especially one covering the foot and ankle”
Late Latin
Latin
calceus
“a shoe; footwear in general in some contexts”
Old French
Old French
chausse
“a stocking, leg covering, or shoe-like covering”
Middle English
English
chausse
“a leg covering or hose”
Modern English
English
calceus
“a Latin term for a shoe or boot used in historical and scholarly contexts”
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