The hard feet of animals like horses, sheep, goats, and cattle.
From Old English 'hōf', related to German 'Huf' and Old Norse 'hóf'. The word comes from Proto-Germanic *hofaz. Interestingly, 'hoof' is one of the few English words where the plural is NOT formed regularly—it's 'hooves' or 'hoofs', making it a living artifact of older English grammar.
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