plimsoll

or plim·sol, plim·sole

[ plim-suhl, -sohl ]

nounBritish.
  1. a canvas shoe with a rubber sole; gym shoe; sneaker.

Origin of plimsoll

1
First recorded in 1905–10; perhaps so called from fancied resemblance of the sole to a Plimsoll mark

Words Nearby plimsoll

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use plimsoll in a sentence

  • Three types of footwear -- including a brogue, a plimsoll, and an evening slipper -- established the basis for Katrantzou's theme.

    Queen of Prints, Mary Katrantzou | Erin Cunningham | September 16, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Adrian plimsoll sat at breakfast, sipping his hot water and crumbling a dry biscuit.

    Once a Week | Alan Alexander Milne
  • Perhaps some of the best were those of which Mr. plimsoll had experience.

    Days and Nights in London | J. Ewing Ritchie
  • Some were still in the stream, loaded with wheat to the plimsoll mark, ready to depart with the next tide.

    The Octopus | Frank Norris
  • There was no plimsoll mark in those days, and this cockle-shell of a vessel was literally loaded down to the scuppers.

    The Shellback's Progress | Walter Runciman
  • Mr. plimsoll speaks in tones of admiration of the honest hard-working men whom he met in his lodging-house.

    Days and Nights in London | J. Ewing Ritchie

British Dictionary definitions for plimsoll

plimsoll

plimsole

/ (ˈplɪmsəl) /


noun
  1. British a light rubber-soled canvas shoe worn for various sports: Also called: gym shoe, sandshoe

Origin of plimsoll

1
C20: so called because of the resemblance of the rubber sole to a Plimsoll line

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012