# footing

Pronunciation: say "FUUT-ing" /ˈfʊtɪŋ/

## Noun

1. A firm, steady placement of the feet that keeps a person from slipping or falling.
   - Simple: The steady balance that keeps you upright when you stand or walk.
   - _The climber regained her footing after the loose rock gave way._
   - _On the wet deck, the sailors struggled to keep their footing._
2. A secure standing or established position; a foothold.
   - Simple: A secure position or place from which you can act or grow.
   - _The party established a firm footing in the rural districts._
   - _She finally gained a footing in the competitive art world._
3. A surface for the foot to rest on; a firm base to stand on.
   - Simple: A solid place where you can put your feet and stand safely.
   - _The mossy stones offered poor footing for the hikers._
   - _Workers cut steps into the cliff to provide safe footing._
4. A relative condition or state, especially the terms on which parties stand toward each other.
   - Simple: The terms or level on which two sides deal with 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._
5. The thickened or sloping base of a wall or embankment that spreads its load; a foundation.
   - Simple: The wide base at the bottom of a wall that spreads its weight onto the ground.
   - _Engineers widened the footing to spread the building's weight over soft soil._
   - _The retaining wall rests on a deep concrete footing._
6. The act of adding up a column of figures, or the resulting total of that column.
   - Simple: Adding up a column of numbers, or the total you get.
   - _The accountant compared each footing against the ledger totals._
   - _An error in the footing meant the report had to be redone._
7. A vertical recheck that confirms a column of numbers totals correctly.
   - Simple: Checking that a column of numbers adds up correctly.
   - _The reviewer performed a footing on each column of the spreadsheet._
   - _The footing revealed that two entries had been counted twice._
8. The act of attaching a foot to something, or the part added as a foot.
   - Simple: Putting a new foot onto something, or the foot that is added.
   - _The footing of worn stockings was once a common household chore._
   - _A neat footing made the mended sock last another winter._
10. A narrow cotton lace made without figured patterns.
   - Simple: A kind of plain, narrow cotton lace with no patterns.
   - _The seamstress edged the cuffs with a narrow footing._
   - _Plain footing was cheaper than the figured laces._
11. The finer waste part of whale blubber, still containing some oil.
   - Simple: The finer leftover bits of whale blubber that still hold some oil.
   - _The crew saved the footing to render its remaining oil._
   - _Barrels of footing were stored below deck for a second boiling._

## Verb

9. Present participle and gerund of foot. — present participle and gerund of foot
   - Simple: Present participle of foot. Use this form for the action happening now or as a name for the activity.
   - _He ended up footing the entire bill for dinner._
   - _The company is footing the expenses for the conference._

## Noun

12. A tread or step, especially a measured, regular one. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A step or way of stepping, especially a steady, measured one.
   - _The procession advanced with a slow, measured footing._
   - _Her graceful footing carried her smoothly across the ballroom._
13. A footprint or set of footprints; the tracks or trail that someone leaves. *(rare)*
   - Simple: Marks left by feet, such as a person's or animal's tracks.
   - _The tracker read the footing left in the soft clay._
   - _They lost the fugitive's footing where the trail crossed bare rock._

## Origin

From Middle English fotyng, equivalent to foot plus the suffix -ing.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/footing (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).