Meanings
plural calceuses · plural calcei
- A kind of low leather Roman boot or hightop shoe.
In its earliest form the calceus was a low-cut model of the Greek endromis, a snug-fitting ankle-high boot, the front finished in a tongue to facilitate drawing on the shoe.
1948, Ruth Turner Wilcox, The Mode in Footwear..., page 321 more example
In comparison with the soccus and the solea, the calceus was a more formal footwear. We do not not usually find it in scenes of private life... We never find it with banquets, where the soccus and the solea prevail. It was probably only put on when leaving the house or, in the case of men, when receiving guests in a formal manner.
2022, Jan Radicke, Roman Women's Dress..., p. 99
Origin
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Cite this entry
calceus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calceus
“calceus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calceus. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “calceus,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/calceus.
Source: calceus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.