bootheel

American  

[boot-heel] / ˈbutˌhil /

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter)

1. an area of SE Missouri where the Missouri-Arkansas border dips southward forming a rectangular-shaped extension of the state.

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Etymology

Origin of bootheel

boot ¹ + heel ¹; so called from the shape on the map; panhandle ¹, panhandle ²

Example Sentences

Forecasters warned that heat indexes could rise above 110 degrees and an excessive heat warning remained in place Friday for west Tennessee, eastern Arkansas, north Mississippi and the bootheel of Mississippi.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 30, 2023

The farmers who bought land in Missouri’s waterlogged bootheel knew what they were buying; periodic floods and occasional wipeouts were priced into their purchases.

From Time • May 8, 2011

It’s a shame when anyone gets flooded, and I remember meeting some nice people in the bootheel when I visited 11 years ago.

From Time • May 8, 2011

Some 3,000 farmers from Pennsylvania to California poured into Missouri's bootheel to help.

From Time Magazine Archive

He then took out the prettiest girl to dance, his feet keeping as exact time as the music to a song, while with his bootheel he kicked off the hat of the tallest man there.

From Arne; A Sketch of Norwegian Country Life by Bj?rnson, Bj?rnstjerne