Etymology Dictionary

VAMP,  the fore-part or upper leather of a boot or shoe.  (F.,—L.)   M.E. uaumpe.   'Hosen wiðuten uaumpez' = hose without vamps; Ancren Riwle, p. 420, l. 3.   'Vampe, or uaumpe of an hoose, Pedana;' Prompt. Parv.   'Hoc antepedale, Anglice wampe' [for vampe]; Wright's Voc. i. 197, col. 1.   'Hec pedana, Anglice wampay,' id. 201, col. 2.—F. avant-ied, 'the part of the foot that's next to the toes, and consisteth of five bones;' Cot.   (Hence E. vampe, vamp; by loss of initial a, change of ntp to mp, and suppression of the unaccented termination.)—F. avant, before; and pied, the foot.   For F. avant, see Advance or Van (1).   The F. pied = Lat. pedem, acc. of pes, a foot; see Foot.   ➩ This etymology is verified by the fact, that the word also appears as vauntpe.   'Vauntpe of a hose, uantpie;' Palsgrave (where the final d is dropped, as well as the initial a, in the F. form).   So also M.E. vampay, above, and later vampay (Phillips).   Der. vamp, verb, to mend with a new vamp, 'Beam. and Fletcher, Bonduca, Act i. sc. 2 (Petillius); hence vamp up = to patch up.