The band at the foot of a thing. Where the closing marks live — provenance, terms, the small print that outlasts the body.
Formed from Old English fot (foot) with the -er suffix; the band at the foot of a thing, where the closing marks outlast the body above them.
The band at the foot of a thing, holding what should still be true after the body above it is gone: provenance, terms, the small print.