tread

transitive verb trod, treaded, trodden, trod, treaded, treading

1. to walk on, in, along, across, over, etc.
2. to do or follow by walking, dancing, etc.: treading the measures briskly
3. to press or beat with the feet so as to crush or injure; trample
4. to oppress or subdue, as if by stepping on
5. to copulate with (the female): said of a bird

Origin: ME treden < OE tredan, akin to Ger treten < IE *dreu- < base *drā, to run, step > trap

intransitive verb

1. to move on foot; step; walk
2. to set one's foot (on, across, etc.); make a step; step
3. to trample (on or upon)
4. to copulate: said of birds

noun

1. the act, manner, or sound of treading
2. something on which a person or thing treads or moves, as the part of a shoe sole, wheel, etc. that touches the ground, the endless belt over cogged wheels of a tractor or tank, the part of a rail on which a car wheel runs, or the horizontal surface of a step in a stairway
3. 1. the thick outer layer of an automotive tire, containing grooves for added traction
   2. the thickness of this layer, as measured by the depth of the grooves
   3. the pattern of the grooves
4. track ()
5. Rare a footprint