Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

pedal

/ˈpɛdəl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.64 in modern English

Syllables
ped-al
IPA
/ˈpɛdəl/
8
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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

noun

an orthopedic structure or a footlike part.

noun

An effects unit, especially one designed to be activated by being stepped on.

noun

A stirrup.

Humorous

noun

The ranks of pipes played from the pedal-board of an organ.

verb

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

verb

To operate a bicycle.

Intransitive verb

adj

Of or relating to the foot.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ped- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *pṓds Proto-Italic *pets Latin pēs Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin pedālis Italian pedalebor. French pédalebor. English pedal Borrowed from French pédale, itself borrowed from Italian pedale, from Latin pedālis. By surface analysis, ped- + -al.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

pedals (plural) pedals (present, singular) pedaling (US, participle) pedalling (UK, participle) pedaled (US, participle) pedaled (US, past) pedalled (UK, participle) pedalled (UK, past)

Derived Forms

ambipedal backpedal carpopedal cerebropedal equipedal footpedal hexapedal hydropedal interpedal intrapedal lateropedal monopedal

Phrases

back-pedal back pedal brake brake pedal clutch pedal combination pedal foot pedal gas pedal go pedal

Frequently Paired Words

manual[hand]]>

Synonyms

treadle foot pedal foot lever pedal point bicycle cycle bike wheel

Homonyms

peddle petal (some dialects)

Rhymes With

medal meddle peddle bedell weddell weddle medel wedel fedele wedell credle reddell

Questions

How do you pronounce pedal?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɛdəl/.
What does pedal mean?
A lever operated by one's foot that is used to control or power a machine or mechanism, such as a bicycle or piano.
Where does pedal come from?
It is traced to Italian.

How to pronounce pedal

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “pedal”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpɛdəl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “pedal”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “pedal” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.