tiptoe

See also: tip-toe

English

WOTD – 18 December 2015

Alternative forms

• tip-toe
• tippytoe, tippy-toe

Etymology

From Middle English tipto, typto; equivalent to tip +‎ toe.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɪpˌtəʊ/, [ˈtʰɪpˌtʰəʊ̯]
• IPA^(key): /ˈtɪpˌtoʊ/, [ˈtʰɪpˌtʰoʊ̯]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (AU):

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• Rhymes: -ɪptəʊ

Noun

tiptoe (plural tiptoes)

1. (usually in the plural) The tip of the toe.

Derived terms

• on tiptoe
• tiptoe mirth

 

Translations

tips of one's toes

• Arabic: رُؤُوسُ أَصَابِع m pl (ruʔūsu ʔaṣābiʕ)
• Bulgarian: върха на пръстите на краката (vǎrha na prǎstite na krakata)
• Catalan: punteta f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 腳尖／脚尖 (zh) (jiǎojiān), 脚尖 (zh) (jiǎojiān)

• Czech: špička (cs) f
• Finnish: varpaankärjet pl
• French: pointe des pieds f
• German: Zehenspitze (de) f
• Hungarian: lábujjhegy (hu)
• Irish: barraicín (ga) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: punta dei piedi
• Japanese: 爪先 (つまさき, tsumasaki)
• Okinawan: 爪先 (ちみさら, chimisara)
• Russian: цы́почки (ru) f pl (cýpočki), цы́пки (ru) f pl (cýpki) (dated), ко́нчики па́льцев ног m pl (kónčiki pálʹcev nog)
• Scottish Gaelic: corra-biod m
• Slovak: špička f
• Swedish: tåspets (sv) c
• Welsh: blaen troed m

Adjective

tiptoe (not comparable)

1. Standing elevated, on or as if on the tips of one's toes.
   • c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v]:

     Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day / Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.

2. Moving carefully, quietly, warily or stealthily, on or as if on the tips of one's toes.
   • 1782, William Cowper, Expostulation

     with tiptoe step

   • 1819, Lord Byron, The Prophecy of Dante

     And stole along on tiptoe tread

Derived terms

• atiptoe

 

Verb

tiptoe (third-person singular simple present tiptoes, present participle tiptoeing, simple past and past participle tiptoed)

1. To walk quietly with only the tips of the toes touching the ground. [from late 14th C.]
   • 1884 December 10, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter II, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: (Tom Sawyer’s Comrade) […], London: Chatto & Windus, […], →OCLC, page 8:

     We went tip-toeing along a path amongst the trees back towards the end of the widow's garden, stooping down so as the branches wouldn't scrape our heads.

   • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 13, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:

     We tiptoed into the house, up the stairs and along the hall into the room where the Professor had been spending so much of his time.

   • 1929, “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”, Al Dubin (lyrics), Joe Burke (music), performed by Nick Lucas:

     Tiptoe through the window / By the window, that is where I'll be / Come tiptoe through the tulips with me / Tiptoe from your pillow / To the shadow of the willow tree / And tiptoe through the tulips with me.

Derived terms

• tiptoe around
• tiptoeingly
• tiptoer

 

Translations

to walk quietly

• Bulgarian: ходя на пръсти (hodja na prǎsti)
• Czech: chodit po špičkách impf
• Dutch: op de tippen lopen
• Esperanto: iri piedpinte
• Estonian: kikivarvul käima
• Finnish: hiipiä varpaisillaan, sipsuttaa (fi), tepsuttaa
• French: marcher sur la pointe des pieds
• German: auf den Zehenspitzen gehen
• Greek: περπατώ ακροποδητί (perpató akropodití)
• Italian: camminare in punta di piedi
• Maori: hītekiteki, hītengitengi
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Polish: iść na palcach impf, pójść na palcach pf
• Portuguese: andar na ponta dos pés
• Quechua: hink'iy
• Romanian: merge pe vârfuri, merge tiptil
• Russian: ходи́ть на цы́почках (ru) (xodítʹ na cýpočkax)
• Slovak: ísť po špičkách impf
• Spanish: caminar de puntillas
• Swedish: gå på tå
• Tagalog: tumiyad
• Turkish: parmak ucunda yürümek
• Vietnamese: nhón (vi)
• Zazaki: gıst sero şiyen

Anagrams

• Petito