"covering for the foot and lower leg," early 14c., from Old French bote "boot" (12c.), with corresponding words in Provençal, Spanish, and Medieval Latin, all of unknown origin, perhaps from a Germanic source. Originally of riding boots only.

From c. 1600 as "fixed external step of a coach." This later was extended to "low outside compartment used for stowing luggage" (1781) and hence the transferred use in Britain in reference to the storage compartment in a motor vehicle (American English uses trunk (n.1)).

Boot-black "person who shines boots and shoes" is from 1817; boot-jack "implement to hold a boot by the heel while the foot is drawn from it" is from 1793. Boot Hill, U.S. frontier slang for "cemetery" (1893, in a Texas panhandle context) probably is an allusion to dying with one's boots on. An old Dorsetshire word for "half-boots" was skilty-boots [Halliwell, Wright].

"wearing shoes," late 14c. (in dry-shod and wet-shod), from Middle English past participle of shoe (v.), surviving chiefly in compounds, such as roughshod, slipshod, etc.

"plainclothes detective," 1906, from the rubber-soled shoes they wore (allowing stealthy movement), which were so called from 1863 (gums "rubber shoes" is attested by 1859); from gum (n.1) + shoe (n.).

also horse-shoe, late 14c. (early 13c. as a proper name), from horse (n.) + shoe (n.). Horseshoes as another name for the game of quoits is attested by 1822.

HORSE-SHOES, the game of coits, or quoits--because sometimes actually played with horse-shoes. [John Trotter Brockett, "A Glossary of North Country Words," 1829]

The belief that finding a horseshoe by chance is lucky is attested from late 14c., and the practice of nailing one above a doorway to prevent a witch entering (or leaving) was common in London down to c. 1800. Of a type of bend in a river, 1770, American English. The horse-shoe crab of the east coast of the U.S. so called by 1809, for its shape; earlier simply horse-shoe (1775); also horse-hoof (1690s), horse-foot (1630s), which Bartlett (1848) identifies as "the common name."

also over-shoe, "a shoe worn over another," especially "an outer waterproof shoe," 1829, from over- + shoe (n.). Related: Overshoes.

lively Alpine folk dance, 1874, from German Schuhplattler, from schuh "shoe" (see shoe (n.)) + south German dialectal plattler, from platteln "to dance."

also shoe-box, "box in which a pair of shoes is packed," 1860, from shoe (n.) + box (n.). In reference to a type of large, blocky building, by 1968.

also shoe-horn, "curved implement used at the heel in slipping on a shoe," 1580s, from shoe (n.) + horn (n.); earlier shoeing-horn (mid-15c.). They were originally made of horn.

also shoe-lace, "shoe string; length of lace used to draw together and fasten the sides of a shoe via eyelets," 1640s, from shoe (n.) + lace (n.).An older word for the thong or lace of a shoe or boot was Middle English sho-thong, Old English scoh-þwang.

"leather for the making of shoes," 1660s, from shoe (n.) + leather (n.).