Bootmakers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Artisans who produce and fix various types of footwear, especially boots
2. Specialists dedicated to the fabrication and repair of boot-style shoes for customers
3. People who create and restore boots and other footwear through skilled manual work

Etymology: "Bootmakers" is the plural of "bootmaker," a compound of "boot" and "maker." The first part comes from Old French "bote," which was itself borrowed from Frankish "bautan," and reached English in Middle English as "bote." The second part is Old English "macian," meaning to make or shape, which gave Middle English "maken" and eventually "maker," the ordinary English word for one who makes things. Joined together, the two parts name a craftsman whose trade is making footwear of the high-shafted kind. Because both elements are ancient and transparent, the compound needed no special coinage. Its meaning follows directly from its parts: a boot, plus someone who makes it. The plural simply adds the usual "-s" to a common agent noun, so "bootmakers" names a group of such craftsmen.

Synonyms: cobblers, shoemakers