galosh

galosh

English

Etymology

From Middle English galoche, from Old French galoche (“shoe with a wooden sole”), but further history is uncertain.

further theories

• From Vulgar Latin *galopium or Late Latin calopedia (“a wooden shoe; a shoe with a wooden sole”), from Ancient Greek καλοπόδιον (kalopódion), diminutive of καλόπους (kalópous, “shoemaker's block”), compound of κᾶλον (kâlon, “wood”) and πούς (poús, “foot”).[1] (More at holt and foot.)
• From Late Latin gallicula, diminutive of Latin gallica (solea) (“Gallic (sandal)”).[2]
• From Old French galette (“flat round cake”), from galet (“pebble”).[3]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡəˈlɒʃ/

Noun

galosh (plural galoshes)

1. An overshoe or boot worn in wet weather:
   1. (Britain) A waterproof overshoe used to provide protection from rain or snow.
   2. (US) A waterproof rubber boot, intended to be worn in wet or muddy conditions.
2. A gaiter, or legging, covering the upper part of the shoe and part of the leg.

Alternative forms

• galoche, galoshe

Synonyms

• (waterproof rubber boot): Wellington boot

Translations

waterproof overshoe used to provide protection from rain or snow

Albanian: galloshe (sq) f Belarusian: гало́ш m (halóš) Bulgarian: гало́ш m (galóš), шушо́н m (šušón) Chinese: Mandarin: 套鞋 (zh) (tàoxié), 膠鞋／胶鞋 (zh) (jiāoxié) Czech: galoše (cs) f Danish: galoche c Dutch: overschoen (nl) m, galoche (nl) f Finnish: kalossi (fi) French: (Quebec) claque (fr) f, galoche (fr) f Galician: galocha f Georgian: გოლოში (gološi), კალოში (ḳaloši) German: Galosche (de) f, Überschuh m, Gamasche (de) f Hungarian: kalucsni (hu) Italian: galoscia f Japanese: ガロッシュ (garosshu) Korean: 오버슈즈 (obeosyujeu) Macedonian: галош m (galoš) Navajo: kéʼachogii, kéchogii Polish: gumiak (pl) m, gumowiec (pl) m, kalosz (pl) m Portuguese: galocha (pt) f Russian: гало́ша (ru) f (galóša), кало́ша (ru) f (kalóša) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: калоша f, каљача f Roman: kaloša f, kaljača (sh) f Slovak: galoša (sk) f Slovene: kaljača f Southern Altai: калош (kaloš) Spanish: bota para la lluvia f, bota de lluvia f, bota de goma f, zueco (es) m, chanclo (es) m Swedish: galosch (sv) c Turkish: galoş (tr), şoson (tr), (please verify) lastik (tr) Ukrainian: кало́ша f (kalóša) Welsh: esgidiau glaw f pl Yiddish: קאַלאָש‎ f (kalosh)

See also

• rainboot
• overshoe
• galoshe, galoche

Verb

galosh (third-person singular simple present galoshes, present participle galoshing, simple past and past participle galoshed)

1. (intransitive) To walk while wearing, or as if wearing, galoshes; to splash about.
   • 1979, Penelope Mortimer, About Time: An Aspect of Autobiography (page 36)

     My mother, at the age of seventeen, took them on single-handed, galoshing her way through the mud with bundles of tracts, not necessarily religious but always uplifting, and generous supplies of calves' foot jelly.

References

1. Barnhart, Robert K., ed., Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology, H.W. Wilson Co., 1988.
2. Klein, Dr. Ernest, A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, Amsterdam: Elsevier Scientific Publishing Co., 1971.
3. Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, 2002.