Word.ws English Dictionary

springheel

springheel noun: a type of shoe popular in the 19th century that had a low internal heel; also, the low internal heel of these shoes.

Noun

springheel (plural springheels)

  1. A type of shoe popular in the 19th century that had a low internal heel; also, the low internal heel of these shoes.
    • The gentlemen always wore "pumps" as they were called, that is, very light turned slippers without innersole or heel, the soles of the best specimens, being well pounded to make them soft and pliable; while the ladies wore a light shoe called a "runround," or "springheel," usually held snug in...1892, 1642-1892: Legends of Woburn, page 52
    • The baby's shoes, the tips now slightly worn, Their springheels frayed by running o'er the floor— Lay them away, with heartstrings wrenched and torn, For baby's feet will wear them never more.1910, Marion Louise Barber, “The Baby's Shoes”, in The Mother-heart: A Few Lines, page 29

Forms of springheel

pluralspringheels
alternative formspring heel

Origin of springheel

From spring + heel.

Questions about springheel

What does springheel mean?
Springheel means a type of shoe popular in the 19th century that had a low internal heel; also, the low internal heel of these shoes.
What part of speech is springheel?
Springheel is a noun.
What is the plural of springheel?
The plural of springheel is springheels.

Words near springheel in the dictionary

  1. Springhams
  2. springhare
  3. springhares
  4. springhead
  5. springheads
  6. springheel
  7. springheels
  8. springhouse
  9. springhouses
  10. Springhurst
  11. springier

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: springheel (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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