sabot

sabotA young man wearing sabots, chalk on paper drawing by François Joseph Pfeiffer II (1788–1835); in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

sabot, heavy work shoe worn by European peasants, especially in France and the Low Countries. There are two kinds of sabots: one is shaped and hollowed from a single piece of wood (called klompen by the Dutch), and the other is a heavy leather shoe with a wooden sole.

Variations of the sabot—wooden-soled shoes topped with a variety of materials such as leather and suede—became popular in the second half of the 20th century. The sabotine was a makeshift shoe of wood and leather that was worn during World War I.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.