footing

Pluralfootings (some meanings)

1. 1
   noununcountable

   A firm, steady placement of the feet that keeps a person from slipping or falling.

   The climber regained her footing after the loose rock gave way.

   On the wet deck, the sailors struggled to keep their footing.

   Similarbalance, stability

   Note

   The balance itself, as opposed to the ground underfoot: a slippery path gives poor footing, but it is the walker who loses their footing. The set phrases are lose, keep and regain one's footing, used as easily of a footballer as of someone on a ship in a storm. Struggling industries that "keep their footing" belong to the foothold sense.

2. 2
   nounusually singular

   A secure standing or established position; a foothold.

   The party established a firm footing in the rural districts.

   She finally gained a footing in the competitive art world.

   Similarfoothold, toehold, position, standing, base

   Note

   Here solid ground becomes social or economic position, something you obtain, gain or establish. Macaulay in 1849 writes of a man who "obtained a footing at court," and Kurtis Lee in 2023 has California's strongest sectors struggling "to keep their footing" under high interest rates. The usual verbs are gain, obtain, establish and keep, followed by at or in to name where the position is held.

3. 3
   noununcountable

   A surface for the foot to rest on; a firm base to stand on.

   The mossy stones offered poor footing for the hikers.

   Workers cut steps into the cliff to provide safe footing.

   Similarfoothold, purchase, grip, traction

   Note

   The literal ground the other senses stand on: Middle English fotyng, simply foot plus -ing. Here the word names the surface, not the walker, so rock, moss or a cut step gives good or poor footing. William Holder in 1669 already treats each step gained in a climb as a footing for the next, the image that the "foothold" meaning turns into position and standing.

4. 4
   nounusually singular

   A relative condition or state, especially the terms on which parties stand toward each other.

   The treaty put the smaller nations on an equal footing with their neighbors.

   Relations between the rivals settled onto a more peaceful footing after the talks.

   Similarbasis, terms, standing, level

   Note

   Unlike a foothold someone gains, this footing describes the terms between parties, and it nearly always sits in the frame on a … footing: on an equal footing, on a peaceful footing. Macaulay in 1856 writes of living "on a footing of equality with nobles," the of-phrase version of the same idea. The adjective carries the meaning, so the noun rarely stands bare.

5. 5
   nouncountable

   The thickened or sloping base of a wall or embankment that spreads its load; a foundation.

   Engineers widened the footing to spread the building's weight over soft soil.

   The retaining wall rests on a deep concrete footing.

   Similarfoundation, base

   Note

   In construction the footing belongs to the structure, not to the ground beneath it. That separates it from the ground underfoot, even though both lie under something. Builders and engineers treat it as a countable part, one per wall or embankment, and describe it by depth, width and material, as in a deep concrete footing.

6. 6
   nouncountable

   The act of adding up a column of figures, or the resulting total of that column.

   The accountant compared each footing against the ledger totals.

   An error in the footing meant the report had to be redone.

   Similartotal, tally, sum, addition

   Note

   As a total the word is countable, and bookkeepers speak of footings in the plural. Francis A. Corliss's Supreme Court, County of New York (1866) describes an audit as "the examinings of the footings of the bookkeeper." Keep it apart from the auditor's recheck, which re-adds a column that has already been totaled in order to test it.

7. 7
   nouncountable

   A vertical recheck that confirms a column of numbers totals correctly.

   The reviewer performed a footing on each column of the spreadsheet.

   The footing revealed that two entries had been counted twice.

   Note

   Auditors use the word for a check, not a sum. The arithmetic matches the bookkeeper's total, but the purpose differs: the column is re-added by someone testing it. A reviewer performs a footing on each column, and a footing that fails is how double-counted entries come to light.

8. 8
   nouncountable or uncountable

   The act of attaching a foot to something, or the part added as a foot.

   The footing of worn stockings was once a common household chore.

   A neat footing made the mended sock last another winter.

9. 9
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of foot.

   He ended up footing the entire bill for dinner.

   The company is footing the expenses for the conference.

   Note

   Every footing in footing the bill is the verb, not any of the nouns. Foot here means "to pay," and the participle takes a direct object. The same form also serves the verb's senses of walking and dancing, and the archaic "to set foot on." A quick test: with an object after it, it is the verb. After a or the, it is one of the nouns.

10. 10
    nouncountable or uncountable

    A narrow cotton lace made without figured patterns.

    The seamstress edged the cuffs with a narrow footing.

    Plain footing was cheaper than the figured laces.

11. 11
    noununcountable

    The finer waste part of whale blubber, still containing some oil.

    The crew saved the footing to render its remaining oil.

    Barrels of footing were stored below deck for a second boiling.

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