Webster
✕

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Pedal

Pe′dal (pē′dal in def. 1; 277), a. [L. pedalis, fr. pes, pedis, foot. See Foot, and cf. Pew.] 1. Of or pertaining to the foot, or to feet, literally or figuratively; specifically (Zoöl.), pertaining to the foot of a mollusk; as, the pedal ganglion.

2. Of or pertaining to a pedal; having pedals.

Pedal curve or surface (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. — Pedal note (Mus.), the note which is held or sustained through an organ point. See Organ point, under Organ. — Pedal organ (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.

Pe′dal (pĕd′al), n. [Cf. F. pédale, It. pedale. See Pedal, a.] 1. (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.

2. (Geom.) A pedal curve or surface.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Noah Porter, editor (Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913). Public domain. Text as transcribed by MICRA, Inc., from Project Gutenberg. Changed for Deep Dive Bible: Greek, which our source spelled in Latin letters, set in Greek letters; entries of one spelling merged into one article; Greek words our source left out (shown as “?”), read from the 1898 printing, from the same plates (the Library of Congress’s copy), where the place could be found with certainty.