boot

BOOT, verb transitive [Eng. but. The primary sense of the root is to advance, or carry forward.] 1. To profit; to advantage It shall not boot them. 2. To enrich; to benefit. I will boot thee. BOOT, noun Profit; gain; advantage; that which is given to make the exchange equal, or to supply the deficiency of value in one of the things exchanged. 1. To boot in addition to; over and above; besides; a compensation for the difference of value between things bartered; as, I will give my house for yours, with one hundred dollars to boot 2. Spoil; plunder. [See Booty.] BOOT, noun 1. A covering for the leg, made of leather, and united with a shoe. This garment was originally intended for horsemen, but is now generally worn by gentlemen on foot. The different sorts are fishing-boots, worn in water; hunting-boots, a thinner kind for sportsmen; jack-boots, a strong kind for horsemen; and half-boots. 2. A kind or rack for the leg, formerly used to torture criminals. This was made of boards bound fast to the legs by cords; or a boot or buskin, made wet and drawn upon the legs and then dried by the fire, so as to contract and squeeze the legs. 3. A box covered with leather in the fore part of a coach. Also, an apron or leathern cover for a gig or chair, to defend persons from rain and mud. This latter application is local and improper. BOOT, verb transitive To put on boots.