arsefoot
Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word arsefoot. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word arsefoot, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say arsefoot in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word arsefoot you have here. The definition of the word arsefoot will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofarsefoot, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
Noun
arsefoot (plural arsefoots or arsefeet)
- (obsolete) A great crested grebe or little grebe.[1]
- (obsolete, informal) A penguin
- 1774, Oliver Goldsmith, An History of the Earth and Animated Nature, volume 2, section VII, page 549; republished as A History of the Earth and Animated Nature 1828:
- […] these birds, like Indian canoes, are the swiftest in the water by having their paddles in the rear. Our sailors, for this reason, give these birds the very homely, but expressive, name of arse-feet.
References
- ^ “arsefoot”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
