'footstool' originates from Old English, specifically the compound of the words 'fōt' and 'stol', where 'fōt' meant 'foot' and 'stol' meant 'seat' or 'stool'.

'footstool' changed from the Old English compound 'fōt-stol', passed into Middle English as forms like 'fotstool' or 'fotstol', and eventually became the modern English word 'footstool'.

Initially, it meant 'a stool for the foot' and over time it has retained essentially the same literal meaning as 'a low stool for resting the feet'.