Etymograph

English

pedal

Pedal comes from Latin pedālis ‘foot’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ped- ‘to walk, to step’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ped-1‘to walk, to step’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pṓds1‘foot’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pets1‘foot’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpēs1‘a human foot’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpedālis1‘foot’
  6. Italianc. 1300–presentpedale1
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentpédale1
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1975pedal1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English pedal
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1975, Jack Weatherly, Dallas or Bust: “In the 1890’s “women were behind the stove,” he…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ped-Wiktionary, English pedal‘to walk, to step’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pṓdsWiktionary, English pedal‘foot’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*petsWiktionary, English pedal‘foot’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpēsWiktionary, English pedal‘a human foot’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpedālisWiktionary, English pedal‘foot’
  6. Italianc. 1300–presentpedaleWiktionary, English pedal
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentpédaleWiktionary, English pedal
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1975pedalWiktionary, English pedal. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1975, Jack Weatherly, Dallas or Bust: “In the 1890’s “women were behind the stove,” he…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *ped- ‘to walk, to step’

pilot, fetch, expedition, footing, impeachment, footed, fet, expedite, fetter, ped, pada, 48 more

through Proto-Indo-European *pṓds ‘foot’

feet, foot, podium, pug, pew, baht, puy, poy, tripos, 37 more

through Proto-Italic *pets ‘foot’

pie, pawn, quadruped, 13 more

through Latin pēs ‘a human foot’

pioneer, pedestrian, pedigree, impediment, pes, impede, centipede, pedicure, petiole, peon, expeditious, pedometer, pedicel, pedicle, biped, 12 more

Another origin of pedal

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ped-‘to walk, to step’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pṓds‘foot’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*pets‘foot’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpēs‘a human foot’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpedālis‘foot’
  6. Englishtodaypedal

Today it means

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.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “pedal”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ped- / pedal

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