Toe

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Toe, n. [OE. too, taa, AS. tā; akin to D. teen, G. zehe, OHG. zēha, Icel. tā, Sw. tå, Dan. taa; of uncertain origin. √60.].

•  One of the terminal members, or digits, of the foot of a man or an animal.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  The fore part of the hoof or foot of an animal.  [1913 Webster]
•  Anything, or any part, corresponding to the toe of the foot; as, the toe of a boot; the toe of a skate.  [1913 Webster]
•  The journal, or pivot, at the lower end of a revolving shaft or spindle, which rests in a step.  [1913 Webster]

Toe biter (Zoöl.), a tadpole; a polliwig. -- Toe drop (Med.), a morbid condition of the foot in which the toe is depressed and the heel elevated, as in talipes equinus. See Talipes.

Toe, v. t. 

 To touch or reach with the toes; to come fully up to; as, to toe the mark.  [1913 Webster]

Toe, v. i. 

 To hold or carry the toes (in a certain way).  [1913 Webster]

To toe in, to stand or carry the feet in such a way that the toes of either foot incline toward the other. -- To toe out, to have the toes of each foot, in standing or walking, incline from the other foot.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Toe, n. & v.
--n.
1 any of the five terminal projections of the foot.
2 the corresponding part of an animal.
3 the part of an item of footwear that covers the toes.
4 the lower end or tip of an implement etc.
5 Archit. a projection from the foot of a buttress etc. to give stability.
--v. (toes, toed, toeing)
1 tr. touch (a starting-line etc.) with the toes before starting a race.
2 tr. a mend the toe of (a sock etc.). b provide with a toe.
3 intr. (foll. by in, out) a walk with the toes pointed in (or out). b (of a pair of wheels) converge (or diverge) slightly at the front.
4 tr. Golf strike (the ball) with a part of the club too near the toe.

Idiom

on one's toes alert, eager. toe-clip a clip on a bicycle-pedal to prevent the foot from slipping. toe-hold
1 a small foothold.
2 a small beginning or advantage. toe the line conform to a general policy or principle, esp. unwillingly or under pressure. turn up one's toes colloq. die.

Derivative

toed adj. (also in comb.). toeless adj.

Etymology

OE ta f. Gmc

THESAURUS

Toe

arch, base, baseboard, basement, chassis, clubfoot, dado, digit, dog, extremity, fetlock, foot, footing, forefoot, forepaw, foundation, frame, harefoot, heel, hoof, instep, keel, mopboard, nadir, pad, pastern, patte, paw, pedal extremity, pedes, pes, pied, pug, shoemold, sole, splayfoot, tip, tootsy, trotter, ungula, wainscot

ROGET THESAURUS

Toe

Base

N base, basement, plinth, dado, wainscot, baseboard, mopboard, bedrock, hardpan, foundation, substructure, substratum, ground, earth, pavement, floor, paving, flag, carped, ground floor, deck, footing, ground work, basis, hold, bilge, bottom, nadir, foot, sole, toe, hoof, keel, root, centerboard, bottom, undermost, nethermost, fundamental, founded on, based on, grounded on, built on.