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surefooted

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: sure-footed

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From sure +‎ footed.

Adjective

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surefooted (comparative more surefooted, superlative most surefooted)

  1. Walking steadily, without stumbling; capable of finding good footing.
    • 1766, Tobias Smollett, Travels through France and Italy[1], Letter XX:
      The mules of Piedmont are exceeding strong and hardy. [] They are the only carriage that can be used in crossing the mountains, being very sure-footed: and it is observed that in choosing their steps, they always march upon the brink of the precipice.
    • 1997, Emma Donoghue, “The Tale of the Needle”, in Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins, New York: HarperCollins, page 169:
      For many years I didn't learn to walk, because I was carried everywhere—not by my parents, who had grown frail, but by the most sure-footed of the servants.
    • 2024 June 12, Pip Dunn, “Network News: Class 93 tri-mode completes first UK main line tests”, in RAIL, number 1011, page 6:
      Testers reported the locomotive as very surefooted and said it did not lose traction.
  2. Confident and capable.
    • 2015, Rosemary Sullivan, Stalin's Daughter, →ISBN, page 320:
      Her performance was described as "stunning, surefooted, breathtaking."

Translations

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