What does galosh mean?
A galosh is a waterproof overshoe, usually made of rubber or rubberized fabric, designed to be slipped over an ordinary shoe to shield it from rain, snow, mud, or slush. The word is almost always used in its plural form, galoshes, since the garment naturally comes as a pair. Once a common feature of winter dress, especially in the early-to-mid twentieth century, galoshes have a mildly old-fashioned flavor today, evoking an era when children buckled them over leather school shoes and commuters kept a pair by the door. They remain in use where deep slush, heavy rain, or salted pavements threaten delicate footwear, and modern versions range from plain rubber pull-ons to sleeker designs. A useful related term is the overshoe, which describes the same category of garment more generically. The variant spelling golosh appears occasionally, particularly in British sources.
nounA waterproof overshoe, typically made of rubber, worn over a regular shoe to protect it from rain, snow, or mud.
- A waterproof overshoe worn over a normal shoe for protection against wet weather.
"She pulled on her galoshes before stepping into the slush-covered street."
"He stamped the slush off his galoshes on the doormat before coming inside."
"In the 1950s, schoolchildren routinely wore buckled galoshes over their leather shoes all winter."
The plural is overwhelmingly the dominant form in real usage, since the object comes in pairs; singular 'galosh' is correct but uncommon outside dictionary contexts.
"She left a pair of rubber galoshes by the back door all winter."
The word galosh may trace back to the caliga, the hobnailed sandal worn by Roman legionaries — meaning this humble rain shoe and Caesar's soldiers once shared footwear vocabulary.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of galosh
'Galosh' entered English in the late medieval period via Old French 'galoche', which denoted a clog or patten. Its deeper origins are debated: one widely cited theory links it through Latin to the 'caliga', the studded military sandal of Roman soldiers, while another connects it to Greek terms relating to shoemakers' lasts. The modern sense — a rubber overshoe for wet weather — became established in the nineteenth century as vulcanized rubber made such items practical.
Related word forms
How galosh is actually used
Almost always encountered in the plural form 'galoshes', since the item comes in pairs; the singular 'galosh' is grammatically correct but rarely used on its own. The word has a slightly old-fashioned, mid-century connotation in modern English, though it remains understood in both British and American usage. The variant spelling 'golosh' also exists.
Easily confused with galosh
Goulash is a Hungarian meat stew; galosh is a waterproof overshoe — they differ by only a couple of letters but are entirely unrelated.