PEDAL


Meaning of PEDAL in English

/ ˈpedl; NAmE / noun , verb

■ noun

1.

a flat bar on a machine such as a bicycle, car, etc. that you push down with your foot in order to make parts of the machine move or work :

I couldn't reach the pedals on her bike.

She pressed her foot down sharply on the brake pedal.

—picture at bicycle

2.

a bar on a musical instrument such as a piano or an organ that you push with your foot in order to control the sound

—picture at piano

■ verb ( -ll- , US also -l- )

1.

[+ adv. / prep. ] to ride a bicycle somewhere :

[ v ]

I saw her pedalling along the towpath.

He jumped on his bike and pedalled off.

[ vn ]

She pedalled her bicycle up the track.

2.

to turn or press the pedals on a bicycle or other machine :

[ v ]

You'll have to pedal hard up this hill.

[ vn ]

She had been pedalling her exercise bike all morning.

—see also back-pedal , soft-pedal

••

WORD ORIGIN

early 17th cent. (denoting a foot-operated lever of an organ): from French pédale , from Italian pedale , from Latin pedalis a foot in length, from pes , ped- foot.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.