pedal

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

• (noun, verb) enPR: pĕdʹəl, IPA^(key): /ˈpɛdəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (adjective) enPR: pēdʹəl, IPA^(key): /ˈpiːdəl/ or as the noun

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Homophones: peddle, petal (some dialects)
• Rhymes: -ɛdəl, -iːdəl

pedal (plural pedals)

1. A lever operated by one's foot that is used to control or power a machine or mechanism, such as a bicycle or piano.

   There are three pedals on manual cars, two on automatics.

   A piano usually has two or three pedals.

   the pedal of a loom

   • 1996, Galen Crane, “Gear without Fear”, in Adirondack Life, volumes 27–28, Keene, N.Y.: Adirondack Life, →OCLC, page 4:

     Of the Adirondackers who make their homes here and then rarely use them—the outdoorsiest of the outdoorspeople—some climb mountains, others cliffs; some push pedals, other paddles; […]

2. (medicine) an orthopedic structure or a footlike part.
3. (music) An effects unit, especially one designed to be activated by being stepped on.
4. (equestrianism, humorous) A stirrup.
5. (music) The ranks of pipes played from the pedal-board of an organ.

   A small organ commonly has only one or two ranks on the pedal.

• → Juba Arabic: bedal
• → Swahili: pedeli

pedal (third-person singular simple present pedals, present participle (UK) pedalling or (US) pedaling, simple past and past participle (UK) pedalled or (US) pedaled)

1. To operate a pedal attached to a wheel in a continuous circular motion.

   to pedal one's loom

2. (intransitive) To operate a bicycle.

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

   • 1975 April 17, Jack Weatherly, “Dallas or Bust”, in The Courier News, volume 80, number 286, Blytheville, Ark., page 8, column 3:

     In the 1890’s “women were behind the stove,” he relates. But they cycled, too. “And they had difficulty pedalling bicycles with ankle-length skirts. “At the time,” Taylor said, “the most sinful thing a woman could do was to show light between her legs. “The original culotte was designed by a LAW member’s wife. The churches (in the East) termed this bepantsed female activity of biking “sinful bicycling,” he noted.

   • 2009, Dennis Bailey, Keith Gates, Bike Repair and Maintenance For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN:

     Crucial to the crankset is the bottom bracket. Of all the bearings on a bike, the bottom bracket is the one that has to bear the heaviest load. Not only does the bottom bracket have to spin while you pedal, but it takes the force of all the twisting and turning that occurs during pedaling.

   • 2010 June, Wendelin Van Draanen, “Vinnie Gets Grilled”, in The Power Potion (The Gecko & Sticky), New York, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, →ISBN, page 46:

     The old man's backside fizgigged with laughter. "See ya, kid!" he called as Dave pedaled away.

   • 2020 August 29, Jeremy Whittle, “Alexander Kristoff takes Tour de France yellow jersey after day of crashe”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Pinot was among those involved in the huge pile-up just as the race entered the final three kilometres. Grazes were visible under his torn clothing as he pedalled, with a face like thunder, to the finish line.

pedal (not comparable)

1. Of or relating to the foot.

• manual, relating to the hand

• “pedal”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “pedal”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

• padle, Delap, padel, plead, paled

Borrowed from Latin pedālis.

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [pəˈðal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [peˈðal]

pedal m (plural pedals)

1. pedal (lever operated by one’s foot)

• pedalar
• pedalejar

• “pedal”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Inherited from Spanish pedal (“pedal”).

• IPA^(key): /peˈdal/, [peˈd̪al]
• Hyphenation: pe‧dal

pedal

1. pedal

Learned borrowing from Latin pedalis.

• IPA^(key): [peˈðal]

pedal m (plural pedais)

1. pedal

   Synonym: pegueira

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “pedal”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “pedal”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “pedal”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Borrowed from Dutch pedaal, from French pédale, from Italian pedale, from Latin pedālis.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpe.dal/
• Rhymes: -dal
• Hyphenation: pe‧dal

pedal

1. pedal (a lever operated by one's foot that is used to control or power a machine or mechanism, such as a bicycle or piano)

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /pə.ˈdal/
• Rhymes: -dal
• Hyphenation: pê‧dal

pêdal

1. alternative form of empedal

• “pedal” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

From Latin pedalis.

pedal m (definite singular pedalen, indefinite plural pedaler, definite plural pedalene)

1. a pedal

• bremsepedal
• gasspedal

• “pedal” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From Latin pedalis.

pedal m (definite singular pedalen, indefinite plural pedalar, definite plural pedalane)

1. a pedal

• bremsepedal
• gasspedal

• “pedal” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Learned borrowing from Latin pedālis.^[1][2]

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
• Hyphenation: pe‧dal

pedal m (plural pedais)

1. pedal (lever operated by one’s foot)

• pedalar

• pé

pedal m or f (plural pedais, not comparable)

1. synonym of podal

Borrowed from Latin pedālis.

• IPA^(key): /peˈdal/ [peˈð̞al]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: pe‧dal

pedal m (plural pedales)

1. pedal (lever operated by one’s foot)
2. (colloquial) drunkenness

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:borrachera

• “pedal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024

pedal c

1. pedal; a lever operated by one's foot that is used to control a machine or mechanism, such as a bicycle or piano

• (foot lever): pidal

Borrowed from Spanish pedal.

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /peˈdal/ [pɛˈd̪al]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: pe‧dal

pedál (Baybayin spelling ᜉᜒᜇᜎ᜔)

1. pedal (foot lever)
2. (music) pedal; effects unit

• magpedal
• pumedal
• pedalin

• “pedal”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018