Meanings
nounarsefoot (plural arsefoots or arsefeet)
plural arsefoots · plural arsefeet
- obsoleteA great crested grebe or little grebe.
- informalobsoleteA penguin
[…] these birds, like Indian canoes, are the swiftest in the water by having their paddles in the rear. Our sailors, for this reason, give these birds the very homely, but expressive, name of arse-feet.
1774, Oliver Goldsmith, An History of the Earth and Animated Nature, volume 2, section VII, page 549; republished as A History of the Earth and Animated Nature 1828
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Origin
Cite this entry
APA
arsefoot. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arsefoot
MLA
“arsefoot.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arsefoot. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “arsefoot,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arsefoot.
Source: arsefoot on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.