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Added 9 October 2026

heel

/hiːl/ noun

In Latin: calx, tālus Wiktionary

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about heel at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The rear part of the foot, where it joins the leg.
The part of a shoe's sole which supports the foot's heel.
The rear part of a sock or similar covering for the foot.

verb

To follow at somebody's heels; to chase closely.
She called to her dog to heel.
To cause to follow at somebody’s heels (transitive).
To add a heel to, or increase the size of the heel of (a shoe or boot).

verb

To incline to one side; to tilt. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}

noun

The act of inclining or canting from a vertical position; a cant.

Origin

From Middle English hele, from Old English hēla, from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄hilō, from Proto-Germanic *hanhilaz, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *hanhaz (“heel, hock”), equivalent to hock + -le. More at hock. Compare North Frisian haiel, West Frisian hyl, Dutch hiel, German Low German Hiel, Danish and Norwegian hæl, Swedish häl.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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