Achilles notch

noun

: a U-shaped or V-shaped indentation in the collar of a shoe that is designed to lessen the pressure that the shoe puts on the wearer's Achilles tendon

An Achilles notch in shoes or mid- and low-top boots will accommodate the Achilles tendon in plantar flexion.

—John Vonhof, Fixing Your Feet, 2006

Word History

First Known Use

1987, in the meaning defined above

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