As the OED suggests (Third Edition, 2006) the word may possibly be the same as pinçons¹ (‘pincers’) and related to the verb pincer (‘to pinch, squeeze’), suggesting perhaps a very tight-fighting type of footwear. However, it also states that the etymology remains unclear. Another possible association may be with pin², which is the term used for leather patches attached to shoe for custom fitting.

In Continental French, the term pinçon (DMF) is not found with any such sense, and the eighteenth-century meaning of ‘toe-piece of a horse-shoe’ (TLF pinçon) is not likely to be relevant here. Consequently, the word is treated separately and not as belonging to the FEW *pints- (8,541b) word-family.