Footslogging

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. An arduous and laborious type of walking over long distances, typically in a slow and persistent manner
2. Engaging in a slow, tiring march or hike often necessitated by challenging terrain or conditions
3. Moving steadily across uneven ground with great effort; a term reflecting the exertion involved in prolonged walking

Etymology: "Footslogging" is a compound of "foot" and "slog," and it started as military slang for the infantryman's work of covering ground on foot, often carrying heavy kit through mud or rough country while mounted troops and wheeled transport moved more easily. "Footslogger" was the soldier himself. "Slog" likely comes from an older sense of striking heavily, as with a sledgehammer, and it came to describe a long, grinding effort. Its sense of trudging through wet, sticky ground seems to have developed alongside that, so the word carries both the weight of the blows and the labored pace of the walk.

Synonyms: marching, trudging