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

Etymology

Origin of French heel

First recorded in 1655–65

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

French heel

Once more he glanced down at the dainty shoe with its high French heel.

From The Ordeal A Mountain Romance of Tennessee by Duer, Douglas

In the strong sun a film of soft earth showed the impress of something quite like the pivoted French heel.

From Jane Allen, Junior by Bancroft, Edith

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

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

She sighed, and tapped her little French heel upon the deck.

From Mysterious Mr. Sabin by Oppenheim, E. Phillips (Edward Phillips)

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 Veblen, Thorstein