footplate

American  

[foot-pleyt] / ˈfʊtˌpleɪt /

noun

1. Carpentry. a plate running beneath and supporting a row of studs; mudsill.

2. a platform or special floor area on which workers stand to operate a machine.

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footplate British  

/ ˈfʊtˌpleɪt /

noun

1. 1. a platform in the cab of a locomotive on which the crew stand to operate the controls

   2. ( as modifier )

      a footplate man

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Etymology

Origin of footplate

First recorded in 1840–50; foot + plate ¹

Example Sentences

After countless trips to Home Depot looking for the right material to secure her feet to the chair’s footplate during dances, “I finally found the perfect Velcro,” she laughed.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 6, 2025

Organisers of the free event said the public will be able to step on to the 97-tonne engine's footplate.

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2023

The footplate of the locomotive, which serves as the connector between the frame and drawbar and needs to withstand massive forces, was littered with cracks and replaced with a stronger version.

From Washington Times • Feb. 20, 2016

This particular fluid only moves when the stapes footplate is depressed into the inner ear.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The dust that rolled about the engine dimmed the glasses, the footplate rattled, and it looked as if his fireman was performing a clumsy dance.

From Brandon of the Engineers by Bindloss, Harold