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Some might think high-heeled shoes are called pumps because they "pump" up the bank accounts of designers like Manolo Blahnik, whose fabulously expensive creations are snapped up by the Carrie Bradshaws of the world. While pumps don't have to be expensive, high-heeled shoes have long been associated with the wealthy and their servants. The word "pump" was first used to refer to footwear back in 1555.
It meant a low shoe without fasteners and described the shoes worn by footmen. "Pump" may have come from the sound made from walking in these shoes. Or it could have come from the Dutch shoe term pampoesje. Later, slip-on shoes with heels were called pumps, especially the fancy shoes worn in European courts by both men and women. French King Louis XIV even inspired a curved high heel of his own. Sarah Jessica Parker, you're not alone.
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