Footwarmer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A heated pad, muff, or other item used to keep a person's feet comfortable and warm in cold weather
2. Something worn or placed near the feet to hold in heat and prevent them from getting chilled
3. A portable warming device or cozy covering designed to keep the toes and soles from growing cold

Etymology: A footwarmer is about as literal as English compounds get: a device or container that keeps the feet warm, built from "foot" and "warmer," an agent noun from "warm." The word needs no hidden history, and its meaning is exactly what its parts say. The "warmer" half is the older and more interesting piece, since "warm" has been part of English for well over a thousand years, while the "-er" ending turns a verb or adjective into a noun for something that performs the action. A warmer, then, is anything that warms, and pairing it with "foot" narrows the sense to a thing that warms the feet specifically. The compound follows a pattern English uses freely, as with "bedwarmer" or "handwarmer."

Synonyms: foot warmer, footstove, foot heater, hot water bottle