There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zipper foot . See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.
The earliest known use of the noun zipper foot is in the 1930s.
OED's earliest evidence for zipper foot is from 1938, in Republican-Courier (Findlay, Ohio) .
Nearby entries zip line, v. 1998– zipliner, n. 1993– zip lining, n. ?1983– zip-lipped, adj. 1943– ziplock, n. 1928– zipped, adj. 1931– zippeite, n. 1850– zipper, n. 1923– zipper, v. 1927– zippered, adj. 1926– zipper foot, n. 1938– zipperhead, n. 1967– zipper problem, n. 1985– Zippie, n.¹ 1968– zippie, n.² 1986– zippily, adv. 1924– zippiness, n. 1907– zipping, n. 1868– Zippo, n.¹ 1944– zippo, n.² 1973– zippy, adj. 1889–
1938–
A type of sewing machine foot (see
foot n. A.IV.11d) designed for sewing zips into clothing, etc.
1938
The following practical Christmas presents may be purchased here..: zipper feet for White or Singer machines, self-wringing mops, etc. Republican-Courier (Findlay, Ohio) 20 December 7 (advertisement)
1991
All the machines except the new Home JA1508 have a zipper foot that can be shifted from left to right of the needle. Which? October 593/1
2013
An invisible zipper foot is different from a regular zipper foot because it has grooves in the bottom for the zipper teeth to slide through and it allows the needle to get much closer to the teeth than a regular zipper foot does. J. Giammalva , Essent. A-line 17
▶ more ▼ less a. The part of a knitting machine which drives a hook on the needle into a groove running along the needle; b. the vertical bar in a sewing machine…
A horizontal surface forming a distinctive or functional part of an apparatus, as in a sewing machine, a scanner, etc. Also: an apparatus or…
transferred . A reciprocating thread-holder in a sewing machine, which carries the lower thread through the loop of the upper one to make a…
In specific technical uses. In a sewing machine: an attachment for holding fabric flat as it is fed through the machine, held in position above the…
A contrivance for making loops, e.g. in a sewing machine.
In a sewing machine: a moving part, esp. a lever with an eyelet, through which the upper thread passes up between the tension plates and the needle…
a. A device in a sewing machine for holding the fabric (now historical ); b. Engineering the part of a machine tool that holds the object being…
An attachment for a sewing machine, used for felling seams (see fell , v. II.7).
The arm or other device which reciprocates the shuttle in a sewing machine.
A device on a sewing machine that automatically adjusts the tension of the thread.
In various technical applications. An appliance attached to a sewing machine for putting binding on cloth.
A part of a sewing machine, used for stitching braid on cloth.
An attachment for a sewing machine, used for making ruffles.
The footplate of a sewing machine which holds the material down over the feed.
transferred . The degree of tightness or looseness of the stitches in machine sewing or in knitting. Hence (also tension-device ), a device in a sewing…
a. A small blade attached to a sewing machine or the like for severing a sewing-thread; b. a tool or machine for cutting screw-threads.
An oil vessel through which the thread was conducted in some sewing machines (Knight, 1877).
An attachment in a sewing machine which marks the line of, or folds down, the next tuck in readiness for stitching (E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. …
A device in a sewing- or spinning-machine for directing the thread (Knight, 1877).
A type of sewing machine foot (see foot , n. A.IV.11d) designed for sewing zips into clothing, etc.
A protruding arm on a sewing machine, designed to facilitate the sewing of tube-shaped items such as sleeves and trouser legs; (also) a sewing…
The regulating device in some types of watch or clock (also figurative ); also, a similar device on a sewing machine.
Originally published as part of the entry for zipper, n.
zipper foot, n. was first published in 2021.
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