Dictionary Definition
heel
Noun
1 the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of
a shoe or boot that touches the ground
2 the back part of the human foot
4 one of the crusty ends of a loaf of bread
5 the lower end of a ship's mast
6 (golf) the part of the clubhead where it joins
the shaft
7 the piece of leather that fits the heel [syn:
counter]
Verb
1 tilt to one side; "The balloon heeled over";
"the wind made the vessel heel"; "The ship listed to starboard"
[syn: list]
2 follow at the heels of a person
3 perform with the heels; "heel that dance"
4 strike with the heel of the club; "heel a golf
ball"
5 put a new heel on; "heel shoes" [syn: reheel]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Pronunciation
- /hiːl/
- Rhymes: -iːl
Homophones
Etymology 1
hela, from Proto-Germanic *hāhil. Cognate with Dutch hiel, Swedish häl, Icelandic hæll. Compare hock.Noun
- Part of the foot on the backside where it becomes the leg.
- The part of a shoe's sole which supports the foot's heel.
- On a long firearm, the back upper part of the stock.
- The last or lowest part of anything; as, the heel of a mast or the heel of a vessel.
- A crust end-piece of a loaf of bread.
- A contemptible, inconsiderate or thoughtless person.
- The tilt of a ship to one side; also, the degree of such a tilt.
Related terms
Translations
(anatomy) part of the foot
- Bosnian: peta
- Catalan: taló
- Chinese: 腳跟 (jĭao gēn)
- Croatian: peta
- Czech: pata
- Danish: hæl
- Dutch: hiel
- Ewe: afɔkpodzi
- Finnish: kanta, kantapää
- French: talon
- German: Ferse
- Greek: φτέρνα
- Guarani: pyta
- Hindi: एड़ी
- Icelandic: hæll
- Indonesian: tumit, tumit kaki
- Interlingua: calce, talon
- Italian: tallone , calcagno
- Japanese: 踵 (かかと, kakato)
- Korean: 발뒤꿈치 (balduekkumchi)
- Latin: calx
- Persian: (pāšne kaf)
- Polish: pięta
- Portuguese: calcanhar
- Russian: пятка
- Serbian:
- Slovene: peta
- Spanish: talón
- Swahili: kisigino
- Swedish: häl
- Tupinambá: pytá
- Urdu: ایڑی
part of shoe
on a long firearm
- Italian: poggiaguancia
end-piece of a loaf of bread
Translations
- Dutch: op de hielen zitten
- German: (jemandem) auf den Fersen sein (with dative)
- Spanish: seguir de cerca, poner talón o tacón a
Related terms
Dutch
Pronunciation
- /he:l/
Synonyms
Adverb
heelVerb
heel- Form of first person singular present tense, helen
- Form of imperative, helen
Derived terms
Extensive Definition
The heel is the prominence at the posterior end
of the foot. It is based on
the projection of one bone,
the calcaneus, behind
the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. In the
long-footed mammals, both the hoofed species (unguligrade) and the clawed
forms which walk on the toes (digitigrade), the heel is
well above the ground at the apex of the angular joint known as the
hock. In
plantigrade species
it rests on the ground.
See also
heel in Aymara: Kayu wintu
heel in German: Ferse
heel in Spanish: Talón
heel in French: Talon (anatomie)
heel in Korean: 뒤꿈치
heel in Italian: Tallone (anatomia)
heel in Dutch: Hiel
heel in Newari: हील
heel in Japanese: 踵
heel in Portuguese: Calcanhar
heel in Finnish: Kantapää
heel in Swedish: Häl
heel in Tagalog: Sakong
heel in Turkish: Topuk
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
SOB,
accouter, afterpart, afterpiece, appoint, arch, arm, back, back door, back seat, back
side, balance, bastard, bear off, bedog, behind, bend, blackguard, bounder, branch off, breech, broke, bugger, cad, cant, careen, change the bearing,
chase, clubfoot, come about, come
after, come behind, counter, creep, crust, curve, depart from, destitute, detour, deviate, digit, digress, divagate, divaricate, diverge, dog, dowdy, dress, end, equip, escape, extremity, fantail, fart, fetch about, fetlock, fit, fit out, fit up, flee, fly the coop, follow, foot, forefoot, forepaw, furnish, gear, go about, go after, go
behind, harefoot, hind
end, hind part, hindhead, hood, hoof, hooligan, hound, impoverished, in straitened
circumstances, incline,
instep, jerk, knave, lay down, lean, lean over, leavings, lie along, list, louse, lowlife, man, meanie, miscreant, mother, move behind, munition, occiput, out at elbows, outfit, pad, pastern, patte, paw, pedal extremity, pedes, pes, philanderer, pied, pill, pivot, pivot about, poop, poor, posterior, postern, prepare, pug, pursue, put about, rascal, rat, rear, rear end, rearward, recline, remainder, remains, remnant, residual, residue, residuum, rest, reverse, rig, rig out, rig up, rind, rogue, rotter, round, rudderpost, run away, run
off, run-down, scamp,
scoundrel, seedy, shabby, shadow, sheer, shift, shit, shithead, shitheel, slope, slovenly, sod, sole, spin, splayfoot, split, staff, stern, stinkard, stinker, strapped, string along,
stump, swerve, swine, swing, swing round, swivel, tack, tag, tag after, tag along, tail, tail end, tailgate, tailpiece, take flight,
tilt, tip, toe, tootsy, trail, trail after, tread close
upon, trend, trotter, turd, turn, turn about, turn around, turn
aside, turn out, turn round, turn tail, ungula, vary, veer, veer around, wheel, wheel about, whirl, worm