savate

[ suh-vat ]

/ səˈvæt /

noun

a sport resembling boxing but permitting blows to be delivered with the feet as well as the hands.

Words nearby savate

savannah, savannah sparrow, savannakhet, savant, savarin, savate, save, save as you earn, save face, save for a rainy day, save one's bacon

Origin of savate

1860–65; < French: literally, old shoe. See sabot

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for savate

It is a development of the old sport of savate, in which the feet, and not the hands, were used in attack.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 3|Various
Savate, boxing and kicking; canne, cane (fencing expression).
John Bull, Junior|Max O'Rell
“I have some acquaintance with the savate,” he said suavely.
Cynthia's Chauffeur|Louis Tracy
It was with the Revolution that the rapier went out, and the savate came in.
Sword and Gown|George A. Lawrence

Indeed, if the object of boxing be to use all means of offence and defence, the savate is indispensable.
Every Boy's Book: A Complete Encyclopdia of Sports and Amusements|Various

British Dictionary definitions for savate

savate

/ (səˈvæt) /

noun

a form of boxing in which blows may be delivered with the feet as well as the hands

Word Origin for savate

C19: from French, literally: old worn-out shoe; related to sabot

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