Adjacent Words

Pedal definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PE'DAL, a. [L. pedalis, from pes,pedis,foot.]
Pertaining to a foot.
PED'AL, n. One of the large pipes of an organ, so called because played and stopped with the foot.
1. A fixed or stationary base.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: of or relating to the feet; "the word for a pedal extremity is `foot'" n
1: a sustained bass note [syn: pedal point, pedal]
2: a lever that is operated with the foot [syn: pedal, treadle, foot pedal, foot lever] v
1: ride a bicycle [syn: bicycle, cycle, bike, pedal, wheel]
2: operate the pedals on a keyboard instrument

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle French pedale, from Italian, from Latin pedalis, adjective Date: 1618 1. a lever pressed by the foot in the playing of a musical instrument (as an organ or piano) 2. a foot lever or treadle by which a part is activated in a mechanism II. adjective Etymology: Latin pedalis, from ped-, pes Date: 1618 1. of or relating to the foot 2. of, relating to, or involving a pedal III. verb (pedaled; also pedalled; pedaling; also pedalling) Date: 1883 intransitive verb 1. to ride a bicycle 2. to use or work a pedal transitive verb to work the pedals of

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 any of several types of foot-operated levers or controls for mechanisms, esp.: a either of a pair of levers for transmitting power to a bicycle or tricycle wheel etc. b any of the foot-operated controls in a motor vehicle. c any of the foot-operated keys of an organ used for playing notes, or for drawing out several stops at once etc. d each of the foot-levers on a piano etc. for making the tone fuller or softer. e each of the foot-levers on a harp for altering the pitch of the strings. 2 a note sustained in one part, usu. the bass, through successive harmonies, some of which are independent of it. --v. (pedalled, pedalling; US pedaled, pedaling) 1 intr. operate a cycle, organ, etc. by using the pedals. 2 tr. work (a bicycle etc.) with the pedals. Phrases and idioms: pedal cycle a bicycle. Etymology: F pédale f. It. pedale f. L (as PEDAL(2)) 2. adj. Zool. of the foot or feet (esp. of a mollusc). Etymology: L pedalis f. pes pedis foot

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pedal Pe"dal, a. [L. pedalis, fr. pes, pedis, foot. See Foot, and cf. Pew.] 1. Of or pertaining to the foot, or to feet, literally or figuratively; specifically (Zo["o]l.), pertaining to the foot of a mollusk; as, the pedal ganglion. 2. Of or pertaining to a pedal; having pedals. Pedal curve or surface (Geom.), the curve or surface which is the locus of the feet of perpendiculars let fall from a fixed point upon the straight lines tangent to a given curve, or upon the planes tangent to a given surface. Pedal note (Mus.), the note which is held or sustained through an organ point. See Organ point, under Organ. Pedal organ (Mus.), an organ which has pedals or a range of keys moved by the feet; that portion of a full organ which is played with the feet.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Pedal Pe"dal, n. [Cf. F. p['e]dale, It. pedale. See Pedal, a.] 1. (Mech.) A lever or key acted on by the foot, as in the pianoforte to raise the dampers, or in the organ to open and close certain pipes; a treadle, as in a lathe or a bicycle. 2. (Geom.) A pedal curve or surface.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(pedals, pedalling, pedalled) Note: in AM, use 'pedaling', 'pedaled' 1. The pedals on a bicycle are the two parts that you push with your feet in order to make the bicycle move. N-COUNT 2. When you pedal a bicycle, you push the pedals around with your feet to make it move. She climbed on her bike with a feeling of pride and pedalled the five miles home... She was too tired to pedal back. VERB: V n, V adv/prep see also back-pedal, soft-pedal 3. A pedal in a car or on a machine is a lever that you press with your foot in order to control the car or machine. ...the brake or accelerator pedals. N-COUNT

Moby Thesaurus

advance, bar, beam, bicycle, bike, boom, bowl, bunt, bus, butt, cant hook, catch a train, chauffeur, choir, claviature, claw bar, clawed, console, crank, crow, crowbar, cycle, drive, echo, eighty-eight, entrain, fingerboard, footed, forward, go by rail, great, handspike, hoofed, impel, iron crow, ivories, jimmy, joyride, keyboard, keys, lever, limb, make a train, manual, marlinespike, motor, motorcycle, move, organ manual, outrigger, peavey, pedals, piano keys, pinch bar, plantar, pole, prize, propel, pry, push, ride, ripping bar, roll, row, shove, shunt, solo, spar, sweep, sweep along, swell, take a joyride, taloned, taxi, thrust, toed, treadle, troll, trundle, ungulate, wheel, wrecking bar