French heel

American  

noun

1. a high, curved heel, characterized by a heel breast curving into a shank, used on women's shoes.

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French heel British  

noun

1. a fairly high and narrow-waisted heel on women's shoes

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Other Word Forms

• French-heeled
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of French heel

First recorded in 1655–65

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

French heel

Here’s the deep imprint of the little French heel, and the narrow, pointed toe.

From The Dragon's Secret by C. M. (Charles Mark) Relyea

The woman's shoe adds the so-called French heel to the evidence of enforced leisure afforded by its polish; because this high heel obviously makes any, even the simplest and most necessary manual work extremely difficult.

From Theory of the Leisure Class by Thorstein Veblen

My French heel caught on the stair; it was torn away.

From The President A novel by Alfred Henry Lewis

It is the city of contrasts; the ox-cart dodges the automobile; in the track of French heel treads the moccasin; the silk hat salutes the Stetson.

From The New North by Agnes Deans Cameron

One flat shoe and one French heel make a poor pair.

From The Love Affairs of Pixie by Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey

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