different between footwall vs footfall

English

Etymology

foot +? wall

Noun

footwall (plural footwalls)

1. (geology) The section of rock that extends below a diagonal fault line (the corresponding upper section being the hanging wall).
2. (mining) The under wall of an enclosed vein.

English

Alternative forms

• foot-fall

Etymology

foot +? fall

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?f?t?f??l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?f?t?f?l/

Noun

footfall (countable and uncountable, plural footfalls)

1. (countable) The sound made by a footstep.
   • 1611, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, act 2, scene 2,

     […] like hedgehogs which

     Lie tumbling in my barefoot way and mount

     Their pricks at my footfall.

   • 1916, Rawindran?th Th?kur, "The Hungry Stones," in The Hungry Stones And Other Stories,

     I heard many footfalls, as if a large number of persons were rushing down the steps.
2. (chiefly Britain, uncountable) Foot (pedestrian) traffic.
   • 2008 December 9, "Bargains galore in battle of the high street," The Scotsman:

     With high-street stores desperate to increase footfall and buck the financial downturn, retailers have started issuing discount vouchers.

References

• “footfall”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.