Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A foot-operated lever used for actuating or controlling a mechanism, as in a loom, sewing machine, piano, or organ.
  • noun A similar foot-operated part attached to a crank and used for powering various devices, such as a bicycle.
  • noun A pedal point.
  • noun A pedal keyboard.
  • adjective Of or relating to a pedal.
  • adjective Of or relating to a foot or footlike part.
  • intransitive verb To use or operate a pedal or pedals.
  • intransitive verb To ride a bicycle.
  • intransitive verb To operate the pedals of.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To work a pedal; use the pedals, as of a piano, organ, bicycle, etc.
  • In geometry, pertaining to the feet of transversals on to the sides of a triangle through a given point and the vertices.
  • noun In geometry, a pedal triangle (which see, under triangle).
  • Pertaining to or connected with a foot or the feet: as, pedal extremities.
  • Technically— Of or pertaining to a foot-like part of the body, as of a mollusk; podial: as, a pedal ganglion.
  • Of or pertaining to the pes or hind foot only: opposed to manual.
  • Pertaining to the feet of perpendiculars let fall from one point upon tangents to a fixed locus called a basis.
  • 4 (ped′ al). In music, relating to a pedal.
  • In conchology: Any muscle of the foot or podium of a univalve. The posterior adductor of a bivalve, when there are two. See cuts under Astartidæ and Tridaenidæ.
  • noun Any part of a machine or apparatus which is intended to receive and transmit power from the foot of the operator; a treadle: as, the pedals of a bicycle.
  • noun In musical instruments, a foot-lever; a metal or wooden key or projecting bar operated by the foot. , ,
  • noun Same as organ-point.
  • noun A pedal curve or surface, or one of which another is the pedal curve or surface.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun (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.
  • noun (Geom.) A pedal curve or surface.
  • adjective Of or pertaining to the foot, or to feet, literally or figuratively; specifically (Zoöl.), pertaining to the foot of a mollusk.
  • adjective Of or pertaining to a pedal; having pedals.
  • adjective (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.
  • adjective (Mus.) the note which is held or sustained through an organ point. See Organ point, under Organ.
  • adjective (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.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A lever operated by one's foot that is used to control a machine or mechanism, such as a bicycle or piano
  • noun medicine a foot or footlike part.
  • verb To operate a pedal attached to a wheel in a continuous circular motion.
  • verb To operate a bicycle.
  • adjective Of or relating to the foot.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a lever that is operated with the foot
  • noun a sustained bass note
  • adjective of or relating to the feet
  • verb operate the pedals on a keyboard instrument
  • verb ride a bicycle

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French pédale, from Italian pedale, from Latin pedālis, one foot long, from pēs, ped-, foot; see ped- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From French pédale, Italian pedale, Latin pedālis

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Examples

  • She often used the term pedal or pedalo-French slang for a homosexual-draping it with condescension, pity, and disapproval.

    Jezebel 2009

  • You may not have ever heard the term pedal notes before, but we're sure you've heard them used in countless solos, and in many different styles of music.

    Feeds4all documents in category 'SEO' 2008

  • You may not have ever heard the term pedal notes before, but we're sure you've heard them used in countless solos, and in many different styles of music.

    Feeds4all documents in category 'SEO' 2008

  • You may not have ever heard the term pedal notes before, but we're sure you've heard them used in countless solos, and in many different styles of music.

    Feeds4all documents in category 'SEO' 2008

  • You may not have ever heard the term pedal notes before, but we're sure you've heard them used in countless solos, and in many different styles of music.

    Feeds4all documents in category 'SEO' 2008

  • You may not have ever heard the term pedal notes before, but we're sure you've heard them used in countless solos, and in many different styles of music.

    Feeds4all documents in category 'SEO' 2008

  • You may not have ever heard the term pedal notes before, but we're sure you've heard them used in countless solos, and in many different styles of music.

    Feeds4all documents in category 'SEO' 2008

  • You may not have ever heard the term pedal notes before, but we're sure you've heard them used in countless solos, and in many different styles of music.

    Feeds4all documents in category 'SEO' 2008

  • You may not have ever heard the term pedal notes before, but we're sure you've heard them used in countless solos, and in many different styles of music.

    Feeds4all documents in category 'SEO' 2008

  • You may not have ever heard the term pedal notes before, but we're sure you've heard them used in countless solos, and in many different styles of music.

    Feeds4all documents in category 'SEO' 2008

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