m., gen. fótar, dat. fæti; pl. fætr, gen. fóta, dat. fótum; in mod. conversation and even in writing the acc. pl. is used as fem., thus ‘allar fætr,’ not ‘alla fætr,’ and with the article ‘fætrnar,’ which form was already used by poets of the 17th century, Pass. 33. 4, Snót 156: [Goth. fôtus; A. S. fôt; Engl. foot; Germ. fuss; Swed. fot; Dan. fod; Gr. πόδ-, Lat. pĕd-, with a short vowel; but with a long vowel in all Teutonic languages; fit, q. v., also seems to be a kindred word]

I. a foot; and as in some other languages either the foot only or the foot and leg. Icel. distinguish between various animals, and use fótr (foot) of men, horses, cattle, sheep, etc.; hrammr (paw) of beasts of prey, as bears, lions; löpp (also paw) of cats, dogs, mice; klær (claws) of birds of prey, as the raven, eagle; hreifi (fins) of a seal: Edda 110, Fms. i. 182, xi. 145, Anecd. 6, Nj. 219, 264, Landn. 180: the allit. phrase, fótr ok lit (q. v.); þá var uppi f. og fit, i. e. all (men and beast) were about or all was bustle; standa báðum fótum, einum fæti, öllum fótum, to stand (rest) on both … feet, Fms. viii. 41, Gísl. 46; spretta (stökkva) á fætr, to start to one’s feet, Eg. 495; vera á fótum, to be a-foot, to be out of bed, Fms. vi. 201, x. 147, Glúm. 368, Eg. 586; vera snemma á fótum, to be early a-foot, Valla L. 223: metaph. to be alive, Ld. 230; fara á fætr, to rise; skjóta (kasta) fótum undir sik, to take to his heels, Fms. viii. 358, Þórð. 43 new Ed.; hlaupa sem fætr toga, to run as fast as feet can go, Gísl. 61. Fas. i. 434; taka til fóta, to take to one’s heels, Grett. 101, Bs. i. 804; eiga fótum fjör at launa, to owe one’s life to the feet, i. e. to run for one’s life, O. H. L. 8; leggja land undir fót, to take a long stride, Bs. ii. 124, Fkv. ii. 2: phrases denoting the delight of getting on shore, hafa land undir fæti, to feel the ground wider one’s feet, ‘O quam securum, quamque jucundum in solo,’ fastr er á foldu fótr, Profectio in Terr. Sanct. 159; falla til fóta e-m, to fall at another’s feet, 623. 27.

2. phrases, kominn af fotum fram, off one’s feet, bedridden, Fms. xi. 155, Fb. i. 201; þótt ek bera þaðan hvárigan fót heilan þá skal ek þó fara, Fs. 9; hverr á fætr öðrum, one on the heels of another, Eg. 132; Hákon drepr yðr á fætr oss, H. slays you on your feet, Fms. x. 386; miklu er fyrir fætr þér kastað, many things are cast before thy feet, many obstacles, Korm. 176.

β. metaph. phrases, standa á mörgum fótum, to rest on many feet, have many resources; stóð á mörgum fótum fjárarli Skallagríms, Eg. 137, Fms. xi. 423; standa á tré-fótum, to stand on wooden legs, be in a tottering state: það er enginn fótr fyrir því, ‘it has not a foot to stand on,’ i. e. is not true: tún-fótr, the outskirt of a home-field, metaphor from a skin stretched out.

II. a measure, Al. 163, Karl. 438, 481, 509, 525. Ísl. ii. 402, Landn. 335, Fs. 26; fet is more usual.

COMPDS: fótaafl, fótabrík, fótaburðr, fótabúnaðr, fótaferð, fótaferðartími, fótafesti, fótafjöl, fótagangr, fótagrýta, fótahlutr, fótakefli, fótaklæði, fótalæti, fótarbragð, fótarmein, fótarsár, fótarverkr, fótasaurr, fótaskinn, fótaskortr, fótaspyrning, fótastapp, fótastokkr, fótaþil, fótaþváttr.