Hoofing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A slang term for walking or moving energetically, often over a significant distance
2. Describing the act of using one's feet to travel, typically with enthusiasm or vigor
3. Informally referring to the process of striding or trekking, sometimes implying a hurried pace

Etymology: "Hoofing" is a verb form of "hoof," and the sense of walking on foot is an extension of the animal sense. A horse's or cow's hoof is its foot, so to hoof it is, in effect, to go on your own hooves rather than by carriage or vehicle. The slang use treats human feet as if they were hooves, a joke that has long been part of informal speech. "Hoof" itself goes back to Old English "hōf," which came from a Proto-Germanic form "hōfaz." That root has siblings across the Germanic languages, including Dutch "hoef" and German "Huf," and it reaches back further to Proto-Indo-European "ḱoph₂ós," the source of Sanskrit "śaphá," meaning hoof or claw. The word has kept its core sense of an animal's foot for well over a thousand years.

Synonyms: dancing, performing, tapping, prancing, leaping