calcagnetti

Noun

calcagnetti pl (normally plural, singular calcagnetto)

1. (historical, plural, plural-normally, footwear) A type of Venetian platform shoe or chopine with an extremely tall wedge sole, popular among noblewomen.
   • The use of high pattens (calcagnini or calcagnetti) still persisted during the seventeenth century, and we do not know for certain when this strange and inconvenient habit went out.1908, Pompeo Molmenti, Venice: The Decadence, page 224
   • It represents a handsome Venetian lady who appears very tall because, beneath her wide black skirt, she is certainly wearing the wooden shoes called calcagnetti which, according to the fashion of the time, were sometimes as much as 40 cm. or more in height.1968, Savile Publishing Company (publisher), The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs, volumes 71-72, page 64