jackboot
/ˈd͡ʒækbuːt/ noun, verb
Forms jackboots jackbooting jackbooted jack-boot jack boot
- noun A glossy leather calf-covering military boot, commonly associated with German soldiers of the WWII era.
- noun (informal, by extension) The spirit that motivates a totalitarian or overly militaristic regime or policy. “That country has been under the jackboot of the military for years.”
- verb (transitive) To stamp on with a jackboot.
- verb (intransitive) To march in jackboots.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Old French jaque (“coat of mail”).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “jackboot”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details