Word of the Day - 06/18/26
discalced
/dɪs'kælst/(adj.): barefoot or wearing only sandals; used of certain religious orders
The discalced Carmelites formed when Saint Teresa of Avila sought to return the order to a stricter, deeply contemplative way of life.
Word Origin
The word 'discalced' originates from Latin. It is formed from the prefix 'dis-', meaning 'apart', 'away', or 'un-', and 'calceus', meaning 'shoe'. The Latin verb 'calceare' means 'to put on shoes', and its past participle 'calceatus' means 'shod'. Therefore, 'discalced' literally means 'unshod' or 'without shoes'.
Words with similar origins sharing the 'calceus' root are less common in everyday English but include terms like 'calceiform', meaning 'shoe-shaped', and 'calceolaria', a genus of plants named for the slipper-like shape of their flowers (from 'calceolus', a diminutive of 'calceus').