I wonder if discalceation was as big a deal as transubstantiation

At Monday's spelling bee, Miss Megan got the word "discalced," defined by Scripps Howard as "not wearing shoes." This is one of those great words that seems a bit superfluous -- was something wrong with "barefoot"? However, dictionary.com has some additional things to say:

dis·calced
Barefoot or wearing sandals. Used of certain religious orders.

[From Latin discalcetus : dis-, dis- + calcetus, shod (from calceus, shoe, from calx, calc-, heel).]

They also tell us that "calced" is, in fact, an antonym:

\Calced\, a. [See Calceated.] Wearing shoes; calceated; -- in distintion from discalced or barefooted; as the calced Carmelites.