Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The arched middle part of the human foot between the toes and the ankle.
  • noun The part of a shoe or stocking covering the instep.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In entomology, the first joint of an insect's tarsus when it is very long and broad; the planta.
  • noun The arch of the foot; the highest part of the upper side of the human foot, near its junction with the leg; technically, the upper surface of the tarsus.
  • noun Hence A corresponding part of the hind limb of some animals, as the front of the horse's hind leg from the hock to the pastern.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The arched middle portion of the human foot next in front of the ankle joint.
  • noun The part of a shoe, boot, or stocking covering the instep{1}.
  • noun That part of the hind leg of the horse and allied animals, between the hock, or ham, and the pastern joint.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun anatomy The arched part of the top of the foot between the toes and the ankle.
  • noun A section of any footwear covering that part of the foot.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the part of a shoe or stocking that covers the arch of the foot
  • noun the arch of the foot

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English.]

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Examples

  • First a cover and then a hot brick to the soles of her feet; but put it right under the instep, that is where the life is. …

    Chapter XVI 1917

  • I explained, in turn, that, never having experienced a yaw in that locality, I was driven to conclude the hollow of the instep was the most painful place for yaw-culture.

    Chapter 17 1913

  • I explained, in turn, that, never having experienced a yaw in that locality, I was driven to conclude the hollow of the instep was the most painful place for yaw-culture.

    Chapter 17 1911

  • Bar-rail instep, which is a fallen arch reversed, was a common complaint among us.

    One Third Off Tony Sarg 1910

  • Shiny black patent leather flats with a convertible strap that flipped behind the heel or over the instep were a particularly meaningful rite of passage for me, since it meant that I was allowed to wear 'big girl' shoes, not just little girl Mary Janes.

    Aspen Daily News Online - 2009

  • In some races and in certain individuals it is much developed, so as to give the high instep which is prized as an evidence of good blood.

    The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 11, No. 67, May, 1863 Various

  • It will be displayed along with other portraits of the artist at an exhibition in the southern town of Vaglio, in the "instep" of the boot-shaped Italian peninsula, from April 8 through Aug. 31.

    Chicago news, weather, traffic - CBS 2 - WBBM 2009

  • It will be displayed along with other portraits of the artist at an exhibition in the southern town of Vaglio, in the "instep" of the boot-shaped Italian peninsula, from April 8 through Aug. 31.

    KDKA - Pittsburgh's Source for Breaking News, Weather and Sports 2009

  • _] [186] The bar of gold above the instep is a mark of sovereign rank in the women of the families of the Deys, and is worn as such by their female relatives.

    The Works of Lord Byron. Vol. 6 George Gordon Byron Byron 1806

  • The Celtic “[l]eg and foot [is] usually well-developed, thigh long in proportion, instep high, ankle well-shapen and of moderate size; the step is very elastic, and rather springing.”

    A Renegade History of the United States Thaddeus Russell 2010

  • In shoemaking, the term “instep” refers to the area of your foot where shoelaces usually sit.

    3 Expert Shoemakers Say Ron DeSantis Is Probably Wearing Height Boosters Derek Guy 10/31/2023 05:00 AM EDT Link Copied 2023

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