Wordul · all words

noun · 2 syllables · /ˈpɛd.əl/

PEDAL

What does "PEDAL" mean?

A foot-operated lever used to control a machine or instrument.

Meanings

  1. A lever pressed by the foot to power or control a bicycle, vehicle, or machine. He pushed harder on the pedal to climb the hill.
  2. A foot-operated lever on a piano, organ, or other instrument that alters the sound. She held the sustain pedal to let the chord ring.
  3. To work the pedals of a bicycle or other vehicle to make it move. They pedaled along the river path all afternoon.

Did you know?

  • 'Pedal' and 'peddle' sound the same but come from different worlds: one from Latin 'pes', meaning foot, the other from the basket a wandering merchant once carried.

Word origin

From Latin 'pedalis' (of the foot), from 'pes, pedis' (foot), via French 'pédale'; the same 'ped-' root underlies 'pedestrian' and 'pedicure'.

Remember it

PEDAL has 'PED' (foot, as in pedestrian) - the thing your foot drives.

A little poem

One foot, then the other,
the small wheel answers the leg-
the road unspools back.

haiku

Wordplay

  • The cyclist and the door-to-door salesman argued all day. One kept saying pedal, the other peddle, and neither could hear the difference.

What it teaches

Motion is just the same small push repeated; you do not need a leap, only the next stroke.

Quick facts

What does PEDAL mean?

A foot-operated lever used to control a machine or instrument.

Is PEDAL a valid word?

Yes — PEDAL is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is PEDAL?

PEDAL has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does PEDAL come from?

From Latin 'pedalis' (of the foot), from 'pes, pedis' (foot), via French 'pédale'; the same 'ped-' root underlies 'pedestrian' and 'pedicure'.

What can PEDAL teach us?

Motion is just the same small push repeated; you do not need a leap, only the next stroke.

How players do

Be the first to solve it.

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