Hoofer

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A trained performer who dances professionally, especially in musical theatre or nightclubs ; someone who travels or gets around by walking
2. A skilled dancer earning a living on stage or in clubs ; a pedestrian who goes places on foot rather than by vehicle
3. An entertainer who makes a living through dance in shows or venues ; a walker, one who journeys by foot

Etymology: The verb "hoof" meaning to dance is a slangy American coinage, not a surprising ancient survival. The noun "hoofer" simply adds the agent suffix "-er" to it, producing "one who hoofs," a dancer. The verb sense comes from the older and literal use of "hoof" for the horse's foot, which was stamped and pounded on the ground, and by the late nineteenth century people spoke of "hoofing it" in the sense of dancing with stamping footwork. The noun's history is therefore straightforward: a common Old English word for the animal's hard foot, pressed into service as a verb for vigorous stepping, and then given a person-forming ending. The suffix itself comes down through Middle English "-ere" from Old English, an ending that once marked a person who performed an action.

Synonyms: dancer, song-and-dance man