Meanings
nounfootbinding (countable and uncountable, plural footbindings)
plural footbindings · alternative foot binding · alternative foot-binding
- countablehistoricaluncountableThe old Chinese custom of binding women's feet with cloth to prevent them from growing with age.First known use 19th c.
More recent studies have shown that foot-binding was likely practiced not purely for the sake of marriage, but also to keep girls at home and engaged in handicrafts, such as spinning cotton, in order to contribute to their family’s income.
2020 February 14, Antonia Malchik, “The Neglected Consequences of Foot-Binding”, in The Atlantic - countableuncountableThe material used to bind feet for this reason.
Origin
Translations
Chinese Cantonese 紮腳 /扎脚, 纏腳 /缠脚
- 紮腳 /扎脚 (zaat³ goek³)binding of women's feet
- 纏腳 /缠脚 (zin⁶ goek³)binding of women's feet
Chinese Mandarin 裹腳 /裹脚, 纏足 /缠足
- 裹腳 /裹脚 (guǒjiǎo)binding of women's feet
- 纏足 /缠足 (chánzú)binding of women's feet
- 纏腳 /缠脚 (chánjiǎo)binding of women's feet
Finnish jalkojen sitominen
- jalkojen sitominenbinding of women's feet
French pieds bandés
- pieds bandésbinding of women's feet
German Füßebinden
- Füßebindenbinding of women's feet
Japanese 纏足
- 纏足 (tensoku)binding of women's feet
Korean 전족
- 전족 (jeonjok)binding of women's feet
Russian бинтова́ние ног
- бинтова́ние ног (bintovánije nog)binding of women's feet
Spanish vendado de pies, vendado podal
- vendado de piesbinding of women's feet
- vendado podalbinding of women's feet
Cite this entry
APA
footbinding. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/footbinding
MLA
“footbinding.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/footbinding. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “footbinding,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/footbinding.
Source: footbinding on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.