jackboot

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jackboot

/ˈd͡ʒækbuːt/

Where it comes from

From Old French jaque (“coat of mail”).

noun jackboots · jack-boot · jack boot

A glossy leather calf-covering military boot, commonly associated with German soldiers of the WWII era. On a huge tomb-like table in the middle of the room, lay two pencilled profiles of Mr. Fielding, a pawnbroker’s ticket, a pair of ruffles, a very little muff, an immense broadsword, a Wycherley comb, a jackboot, and an old plumed hat; […]
broadly, informal 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 jackboots · jackbooting · jackbooted · jack-boot · jack boot

transitive To stamp on with a jackboot. The two porters leapt into action, steamed up to the front of the room and started jackbooting the burning paper.
intransitive To march in jackboots. All his childhood they had stormed through the cinema newsreels, jackbooting triumphantly through Vienna, Prague, Warsaw, Paris. Now they would jackboot through Garmouth. Followed by the Gestapo.

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MLA

"jackboot." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/jackboot. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

jackboot. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/jackboot

Chicago

"jackboot." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/jackboot.

BibTeX

@misc{jackboot_2026,
  title = {jackboot},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/jackboot},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}