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half boot

half boot

1 3.4
A short boot that covers the ankle and lower calf, reaching halfway to the knee
  • noun
translation icon : botín
  • After hiking through the forest, he took off his muddy half boots at the door.
  • wear half boots

Examples

  • Oh, uh, I wear a size seven and a half boot.

  • Dirk falls in love with a pair of half-boots, zip-up style.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • The leather soles of her cloth half-boots were worn thin.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • On a rainy day, she wore her sturdy half boots to keep her feet dry.

  • He bought a stylish pair of half boots for the upcoming winter season.

Synonyms

top boot
vshalf boot
  • Archaic
1 7.7

A tall leather shoe that reaches halfway to the knee and is worn for riding or historical dress

reaches the same height but is a basic ankle and lower calf covering
buskin
vshalf boot
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A tall leather boot that covers the foot and lower leg, worn in old plays and costumes

reaches the same height but is a plain modern ankle and lower calf covering

How High

knee-high
1 2.7
half boot
1 3.4
ankle boot
2 2.5

Surface Forms

half boot singular
half boots plural

Morphology

half + boot

The noun phrase 'half boot' is a straightforward adjective+noun composition: 'half' signals partial length and 'boot' names the footwear, so the sense of a boot reaching halfway up the lower leg is directly derivable from the parts. This descriptive, compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common and would be clear to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Half boot: The name half boot comes from the simple image of a boot that reaches only half way up the lower leg. That's why 'half boot' means a shoe that gives more support than an ankle boot but less coverage than a knee boot.