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san·dal¹

(săndl)

1. A shoe consisting of a sole fastened to the foot by thongs or straps.

2. A low-cut shoe fastened to the foot by an ankle strap.

3. A rubber overshoe cut very low and covering little more than the sole of the shoe.

4. A strap or band for fastening a low shoe or slipper on the foot.

[Middle English, from Old French sandale, from Latin sandalium, from Greek sandalion, diminutive of sandalon, sandal, of unknown origin.]

sandaled adj.

san·dal²

(săndl)

Sandalwood.

[Middle English, from Old French sandale, from Medieval Latin sandalum, from Late Greek santalon, sandalon, ultimately from Middle Persian čandal, from Sanskrit candanam, of Dravidian origin; akin to Tamil and Malayalam cāntu, sandalwood paste, Tamil cāttu, to daub, smear, and Telugu cādu, to rub into a paste.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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