pedal
pronunciation
How to pronounce pedal in British English:
UK [ˈpedl]
How to pronounce pedal in American English:
US [ˈpedl]
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- Noun:
- a sustained bass note
- a lever that is operated with the foot
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- Verb:
- ride a bicycle
- operate the pedals on a keyboard instrument
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- Adjective:
- of or relating to the feet
Word Origin
- pedal
- pedal: [17] Pedal is one of a group of English words which go back to Latin pēs ‘foot’ or its Romance descendants (to which English foot is related). Others include impede [17], pedestal [16] (which comes via French from Old Italian piedestallo, a conflation of pie di stallo ‘foot of a stall’), pedestrian [18], pedicure [19], pedigree, and pedometer [18].=> foot, impede, pawn, pedestal, pedestrian, pedigree
- pedal (n.)
- 1610s, "lever (on an organ) worked by foot," from French pédale "feet, trick with the feet," from Italian pedale "treadle, pedal," from Late Latin pedale "(thing) of the foot," neuter of Latin pedalis "of the foot," from pes (genitive pedis) "foot," from PIE root *ped- (1) "a foot" (see foot (n.)). Extended to various mechanical contrivances by 1789. Pedal steel guitar is from 1969. Pedal-pushers "type of women's trousers suitable for bicycling" is from 1944. When college girls took to riding bicycles in slacks, they first rolled up one trouser leg, then rolled up both. This whimsy has now produced a trim variety of long shorts, called "pedal pushers." ["Life," Aug. 28, 1944]
- pedal (v.)
- 1866 of musical organs, 1888 of bicycles, from pedal (n.). Related: Pedaled; pedaling.
Example
- 1. He jumped on his bike and started to pedal .
- 2. You can spend even more and still have to pedal the bike yourself .
- 3. With no indoor bathroom , zhang has to pedal about 10 minutes , past all the gleaming development , to the nearest public facilities .
- 4. Should I use pedal when playing bach ?
- 5. What most likely happened was pedal misapplication .