Plural of footstool; small low seats or platforms designed to support your feet while sitting.
From Old English 'fot' (foot) + 'stol' (seat/stool). Compounded in Middle English to describe a practical furniture piece. The term evolved from describing any stool for feet to the specific upholstered furniture we know today.
Footstools became wildly popular during the Victorian era when sitting for long periods in formal clothing became the norm—they were both practical and a status symbol showing you had leisure time to lounge!
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