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Heel

Anatomy
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The back part of the foot beneath the ankle. It can represent grounding, pursuit, departure, or a point of weakness.

Detailed Definition
The heel meets the ground with each step and therefore lends itself to poems about travel, labor, escape, and return. A lifted heel may capture urgency or dance, while heels dragged across a floor can show reluctance and fatigue. Literary tradition also makes the heel a sign of vulnerability through the story of Achilles. In a poem, this small part of the body can turn a broad idea of mortality into a sharp, physical image of an exposed place.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Homer's epics, heroes are often described through their swift feet, and the heel can focus that larger image on vulnerability; "Achilles' heel" remains a poetic shorthand for a fatal weakness; "Her heel struck the stair, counting the climb" uses the heel to make movement audible; "The candlelight trembled at the heel of the boot" places light low in the scene and sharpens its visual angle
Additional Notes
The heel grounds a step but is vulnerable, recalling Achilles’ heel. It may mark pursuit, retreat, or stubborn resistance.
Also Known As
Calcaneus Hindfoot careen
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