high heeln.adj.
/ˌhʌɪ ˈhiːl/, U.S. /ˈˌhaɪ ˈhil/ A. n.
A tall heel on a shoe or other item of footwear. Also: an item of footwear having such a heel; esp. a stiletto. Usually in plural.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > parts of footwear > [noun] > heel > types of
heelc1400
cork1609
Polonia heel1613
high heel1645
French heel1651
spur box1862
rubber heel1867
boot-heel1870
Louis Quinze1875
Louis heel1906
Cuban heel1908
brogue heel1927
spike heel1929
stiletto heel1931
wedge-heel1939
stiletto1953
wedge1959
stacked heel1960
stilt heel1973
1645 D. North Forest of Varieties iii. 184 The invention of high heeles, head dresses, and training Gownes, &c.
1671 A. Wood Diary 12 July in Life & Times (1892) II. 226 He had a night gowne on, which made him seem taller, and high heels.
1722 E. Baynard in J. Floyer Psychrolousia (ed. 5) ii. 386 No Man with a high Heel can tread strong and boldly.
1764 T. Southwell tr. Med. Ess. & Observ. II. 63 The womens high heels, of late so much in fashion, have also their inconvenience.
1821 Etonian May 129 By the assumption of a military gait and a pair of high heels, he bids fair to be accounted a Giant.
1883 H. L. B. tr. S. A. Salquin et al. Mil. Shoe v. 39 The ancients..distinguished their actors who represented the gods and heroes, by making them wear shoes with very high heels and very thick soles.
1922 F. R. Sterrett Amazing Inheritance 87 She had to buy flat-heeled broad-toed shoes for walking, instead of the narrow-toed high heels for which her soul yearned.
1968 J. Ironside Fashion Alphabet viii. 136 The term ‘Louis’ is generally applied to a high heel with curved waist, flared at the base.
2012 Edmonton (Alberta) Jrnl. (Nexis) 14 Dec. g7 Dressy accessories like sparkly high heels..and beautiful gloves are all the rage.
B. adj.
Frequently with hyphen. Of footwear: having a high heel. Cf. high-heeled adj.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > footwear > shoe or boot > [adjective] > with heel > with specific type of heel
corked1519
high-heeled1618
high heel1677
red-heeled1709
low-heel1712
stilt-heeled1772
court1903
wedge-heeled1939
Cuban-heeled1940
spike-heeled1953
stiletto-heeled1959
1677 Debauchee iii. 38 Well, thus it must be, in spight of chance, and high heel Shoes which will go a wry sometimes.
1686 London Gaz. No. 2140/4 White Stockings..high-heel Shooes.
1723 tr. P. B. Du-Bois Useful Refl. Several Subj. (ed. 2) xxvii. 213 Their streight High-heel Shoes, whose pinching Sides they bear contentedly.
1784 London Med. Jrnl. 4 347 High heel shoes are liable to occasion a curvature of the spine.
1838 T. C. Haliburton Clockmaker 2nd Ser. xxiii. 223 You never seed a small man that didn't wear high heel boots.
1887 Ann. Hygiene 1 Mar. 110/2 It was the French fops of the Quatorze and Quinze era in France who started the injurious custom of high-heel shoes.
1921 Rep. Mass. Board Conciliation & Arbitration 77 High-heel sandals.
1950 G. Barker News of World 10 Heavy my heart walks ahead on the pavements With her high-heel shoe my martyrdom on stone.
2011 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 21 Aug. (T Style Mag.) 84/2 Evocative of the British Isles, with a smattering of high-heel brogues, evening sandals with chandelier trim and suede boots.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2014; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.1645