pedal

B2 Topic:Tools, Machines & Construction

US /ˈpɛdəl/ See IPA manual

Homophones

peddle /ˈpɛdəl/

Freq #11054

Meanings

1

noun
A lever you press with your foot to control or power a machine such as a bicycle, car, or piano.

There are three pedals in a car with a manual gearbox.
2

verb
To push the pedals of a bicycle to make it move.

He was out of breath from pedalling up the steep hill.
3

adj
Relating to the feet.

The doctor examined a problem in his pedal joints.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a lever you press with your... foot leverfoot pedaltreadle

Word family

Forms pedaledpedalingpedalledpedallerpedallingpedals

Derived forms ambipedalback-pedalbackpedalcarpopedalcerebropedalequipedalfootpedalhexapedalhydropedalinterpedalintrapedallateropedal

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

clutch pedal
the foot-operated control that connects or disconnects an engine from its transmission

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Pedal, recorded from the early 17th century, derives ultimately from Latin pes, ped-, “foot.” It therefore shares its root with pedestrian, pedestal, and the word for the pawn in chess.

Etymology

Borrowed from French pédale, Latin pedāl(is). By surface analysis, ped- + -al.

*ped- Proto-Indo-European pedālis Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Tools, Machines & Construction

External links

# pedal

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈpɛdəl/
**Frequency rank:** 11054

## Meanings
1. A lever you press with your foot to control or power a machine such as a bicycle, car, or piano.
2. To push the pedals of a bicycle to make it move.
3. Relating to the feet.

## Examples
- There are three pedals in a car with a manual gearbox.
- He was out of breath from pedalling up the steep hill.
- The doctor examined a problem in his pedal joints.

## Derived Forms
- ambipedal
- back-pedal
- backpedal
- carpopedal
- cerebropedal
- equipedal
- footpedal
- hexapedal
- hydropedal
- interpedal
- intrapedal
- lateropedal

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *ped-
- Root: pedālis

## Etymology
Borrowed from French pédale, Latin pedāl(is). By surface analysis, ped- + -al.

## AI Etymology
Pedal was borrowed from French pédale, Latin pedāl(is). By surface analysis, ped- + -al. The historical chain includes Proto-Indo-European *ped- and Latin pedālis. Modern senses include a lever you press with your foot to control or power a machine such as a bicycle, car, or piano and to push the pedals of a bicycle to make it move. The wider word family includes derivatives such as ambipedal, back-pedal, backpedal, carpopedal, cerebropedal, and equipedal.

## Topics
- Tools, Machines & Construction

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