"long-pointed toe of a shoe," mid-15c., from Old French Poulaine, literally "Poland," hence "in the Polish fashion." The style was supposed in Western Europe to have originated there. Compare Cracow.
Entries linking to poulaine
Cracow
the older Englishing of Krakow, the city in Poland. The long-toed, pointed shoes or boots called crakows that were popular in England 15c. are attested from late 14c., so called because they were supposed to originate there. They also yielded a Middle English verb, crakouen "to provide (shoes or boots) with long, pointed toes" (early 15c.). Related: Cracovian.