Etymology

hoofer

H4O1O1F4E1R1

Today it means: A professional dancer, particularly one who has paid his or her dues. Full definition →

English hoof ← Middle English hof ← Old English hōf
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱoph₂ós
  2. Proto-Germanic*hōfaz
  3. Proto-West Germanic*hōf
  4. Old Englishhōf
  5. Middle Englishhof
  6. Englishhoof
  7. English todayhoofer

From hoof (“dance”, verb) + -er.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.