pedal1
noun
- each of a set of two or three levers on a piano, particularly (also sustaining pedal) one that, when depressed by the foot, prevents the dampers from stopping the sound when the keys are released. The second is the soft pedal; a third, if present, produces either selective sustaining or complete muffling of the tone.
- Musicshort for pedal note.
verb ( pedals, pedaling, pedaled ; Britishpedals, pedalling, pedalled)
Origin:
early 17th century (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'
People often confuse the words pedal and peddle. Pedal is a noun referring to a foot-operated lever, as on a bicycle, and a verb chiefly meaning ‘move by working the pedals of a bicycle’ (they pedaled along the road). Peddle, on the other hand, is a verb meaning ‘sell goods or promote an idea’ (he peddled printing materials around the country she peddled a ludicrously utopian view of the past). The related words peddler and pedaler are also confused. A peddler (also spelled pedlar, especially in Britain) is a person who goes from place to place selling goods, while a pedaler (or, in Britain, a pedaller) is someone who rides a bike.