a foot-operated lever used to control certain mechanisms, as automobiles, or to play or modify the sounds of certain musical instruments, as pianos, organs, or harps.
a leverlike part worked by the foot to supply power in various mechanisms, as the bicycle.
Music.
a foot-operated keyboard, as on an organ or harpsichord.
any of the keys of such a keyboard.
pedal point.
verb (used without object),ped·aled,ped·al·ing or (especially British) ped·alled,ped·al·ling.
to work or use the pedals, as in playing an organ or propelling a bicycle.
verb (used with object),ped·aled,ped·al·ing or (especially British) ped·alled,ped·al·ling.
to work the pedals of (an organ, bicycle, etc.).
adjective
of or relating to a foot or the feet.
of or relating to a pedal or pedals.
using pedals: a pedal mechanism.
Origin of pedal
1605–15; (<French pédale) <Latin pedālis of the feet. See ped-2, -al1
I strain and push and pedal and wonder, “When will this end?”
Biking With the Bard|Kara Cutruzzula|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I push down on the pedal with my right leg and instead of propelling myself forward, I topple over sideways.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder|Carrie Arnold|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He'd pedal a few yards, then the handle bars would get away from him.
The Stacks: A Dog Dies, a Boy Grows Up|Pete Dexter|June 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When Paul Walker steps on the pedal in ‘The Fast and Furious,’ his boyish glee takes over.
Best Paul Walker Performances: Ranking the ‘Fast and Furious’ Franchise|Jimmy So|December 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She got thousands of hits and inspired dozens of other women to put the pedal to the metal.
Ovaries on Overdrive in the Saudi Kingdom|Maysoon Zayid|October 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Solo organ and one-third of the Pedal organ are under the first arch on the north side of the chancel.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller
The pedal will probably come off once at least on my way in.
The Simpkins Plot|George A. Birmingham
In the "pedal organ" are 12 stops, viz.: Open diapason 16ft.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
The pedal ganglion is made of right and left parts quite completely fused except at the margins.
Journal of Entomology and Zoology|Horace Gunthorp
It must be borne in mind that the pedal organ, with its keys for the feet, was a much later invention.
The Influence of the Organ in History|Dudley Buck
British Dictionary definitions for pedal (1 of 2)
pedal1
/ (ˈpɛdəl) /
noun
any foot-operated lever or other device, esp one of the two levers that drive the chain wheel of a bicycle, the foot brake, clutch control, or accelerator of a car, one of the levers on an organ controlling deep bass notes, or one of the levers on a piano used to create a muted effect or sustain tone
(as modifier)a pedal cycle; a pianist's pedal technique
verb-als, -allingor-alledorUS-als, -alingor-aled
to propel (a bicycle, boat, etc) by operating the pedals
(intr)to operate the pedals of an organ, piano, etc, esp in a certain way