tiptoe

See also: tip-toe

English

WOTD – 18 December 2015

Alternative forms

• tip-toe
• tippytoe, tippy-toe

Etymology

tip +‎ toe

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

• 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

• Chinese:

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

• Finnish: varpaankärjet pl
• French: pointe des pieds f
• German: Zehenspitze (de) f
• Hungarian: lábujjhegy (hu)
• (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
• Swedish: tåspets c

Adjective

tiptoe (not comparable)

1. Standing elevated, on or as if on the tips of one's toes.
   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

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

   • (Can we date this quote by Byron and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     above the tiptoe pinnacle of glory

2. Moving carefully, quietly, warily or stealthily, on or as if on the tips of one's toes.
   • (Can we date this quote by Cowper and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     with tiptoe step

Derived terms

• atiptoe

 

Verb

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

• 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}}
• Portuguese: andar na ponta dos pés
• Quechua: hink'iy
• Romanian: merge pe vârfuri, merge tiptil
• Russian: ходи́ть на цы́почках (ru) (xodítʹ na cýpočkax)
• Spanish: caminar de puntillas
• Swedish: gå på tå
• Tagalog: tumiyad
• Turkish: parmak ucunda yürümek
• Vietnamese: nhón (vi)

Anagrams

• Petito