Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “barefooted” come from?

Barefooted derives from English bare and English foot, tracing through Middle English barn to Proto-Indo-European bʰer-.

barefooted (English): Wearing nothing on the feet; barefoot

Definitions

  1. Wearing nothing on the feet; barefoot

Ancestry of “barefooted”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishfootedsimple past tense and past participle of foot;...
2Middle EnglishfotedHaving a type or number of feet; footed;...
3Middle Englishfotfoot; The bottom, lower part or foundation of...
4Old Englishfōtfoot
5Proto-West Germanicfōtfoot
6Proto-Germanicfōtsfoot
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpṓdsfoot
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpóds—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanped-to walk, to step; to stumble, to fall
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ped- →