Galoshes are a type of overshoe orrubber boot that is put on overshoes to keep them from getting muddy or wet during inclement weather. They come in both low cut and high, and in both slip-on and buckle-front versions.
TheEnglish wordgalosh,golosh,[1][2][3] etc., comes fromFrenchgaloche fromMedieval Latingalopia, a variant ofLate Latincalopes andcalopedes, a partialcalque ofGreekκαλοπόδιον (kalopódion) fromκᾶλον (kâlon)'wood' andπούς (poús),'foot'.[4]
The calopedes ofLate Antiquity were a kind of woodenclog and the name was occasionally reused in theMiddle Ages forpattens, wooden bottoms strapped to softer shoes to allow outdoor use.[4] By the 14th century,galosh was also being used to refer toEnglish-style clogs, shoes with a wooden sole and a full fabric or leather upper[5] and then to any shoe or boot generally,[2] a meaning it still bears inAzorean Portuguese.
Galosh ultimately took on its present meaning from the patten usage, describing anovershoe worn at sea or in inclement weather. In time made fromrubber they gained the namesrubbers,rubber boots, andgumshoes (fromgum rubber, a term also applied to rubber-soled "street" shoes,crepe-soled shoes and boots, andsneakers). Today flexibleplastics such asPVC are often used.
Galoshes are overshoes, and not to be confused with the form of large slip-on rubber boots (known in theUnited Kingdom asWellington boots).
A protective layer (made variously ofleather, rubber, or syntheticripstop material) that only wraps around a shoe's upper is known as aspat orgaiter. Among bootmakers, agalosh is also a piece ofwelt-like leather like a that runs around the top of the sole between it and the uppers.
InTurkish contexts,galoş most often refers to smaller overshoes that are worn indoors to keep from tracking mud or dirt onto the floor.[6]
The transition from a traditional wooden sole galosh to one ofvulcanizedrubber may be attributed toCharles Goodyear andLeverett Candee.[citation needed] The qualities of rubber, though fascinating to Goodyear, were highly dependent on temperature: it was tacky when hot, brittle when cold. Vulcanization of rubber tempered its properties so that it was easily molded, durable, and tough. A rubberized elastic webbing made Goodyear's galoshes (c. 1890) easy to pull on and off.[citation needed] Beginning in the early 20th century, galoshes were almost universally made of rubber.[2] Overshoes have evolved in the past decades and now are being made of more advanced materials with new features, such as high traction outsoles.
Notes
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Golosh".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 226.To geten him ... galoches ycouped.[slashed shoes]
Bibliography
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