velocipede

See also: velocipède, vélocipède, and velocípede

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French vélocipède, from Latin velox (“swift”) + pes (“foot”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɪˈlɒs.ɪ.piːd/
• Hyphenation: ve‧lo‧ci‧pede

Noun

English Wikipedia has an article on:

velocipede

Wikipedia

velocipede (plural velocipedes)

1. (historical) An early two-wheeled conveyance upon which one rode astride a wooden frame propelled by means of pushing the feet against the ground.
2. (archaic) Any three- or four-wheeled machine driven by foot or hand levers to the rear or front axle.
3. (archaic) A late-1860s bicycle driven by cranks on the front axle.
   • 1870, Louisa May Alcott, An Old Fashioned Girl:

     Polly laughed as she ran to view the ruin, for Tom lay flat on his back with the velocipede atop of him

   • 1899, Stephen Crane, “"Showin' Off"”, in Harper’s Magazine:

     Jimmie Trescott's new velocipede had the largest front wheel of any velocipede in Whilomville.

   • 1937, Laura Ingalls Wilder, On the Banks of Plum Creek:

     “They can play with Willie’s playthings,” Nellie said. “They can’t ride on my velocipede!” Willie shouted.

4. (humorous) A bicycle.
   • 1992, Robert Rankin, The Antipope, page 197:

     […] his eyes fell upon the instantly recognizable if somewhat battered form of his own bicycle bell. […] 'Hold up there!' he cried, and 'Enough of that! Let loose that velocipede!'
     Archroy heard the Irishman's frenzied cries and released his grip. Marchant toppled to the dust in a tangle of flailing spokes.

   • 2022, Dave Clarke, “Velocipede”, in Northern Territory Literary Awards‎, pages 26-27:

     I sense a portent inflating / an unlikely fellowship forming / and yet as swiftly as communion effloresced, / they leave, / pedalling into the distance / on their restored velocipede.

Synonyms

• (a late 1860s bicycle): boneshaker

Related terms

• celeripede
• velocity
• velodrome

Translations

early two-wheeled conveyance

Basque: belozipedo (eu) Catalan: velocípede (ca) m Czech: velocipéd (cs) m Danish: velociped c Esperanto: velocipedo Finnish: velosipedi (fi) French: vélocipède (fr) m Galician: velocípede (gl) m Georgian: ველოსიპედი (velosiṗedi), დრეზინი (drezini) German: Veloziped (de) n Hungarian: velocipéd (hu) Ido: velocipedo (io) Italian: velocipede (it) m Japanese: ベロシペード (beroshipēdo) Latvian: velosipēds m Macedonian: велосипе́д m (velosipéd) Norwegian: Bokmål: velosiped (no) m Nynorsk: velosiped m Polish: welocyped (pl) m Portuguese: velocípede (pt) m Romanian: velociped (ro) n Russian: костотря́с (ru) m (kostotrjás), велосипе́д (ru) m (velosipéd) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: велосѝпе̄д m Roman: velosìpēd (sh) m Slovak: velocipéd (sk) m Spanish: velocípedo (es) m

(archaic) generic term for three- and four-wheeled machines driven by hand or foot levers

Bulgarian: дрезина f (drezina) Portuguese: velocípede (pt) m

(archaic) a bicycle driven by cranks on the front axle

Verb

velocipede (third-person singular simple present velocipedes, present participle velocipeding, simple past and past participle velocipeded)

1. to ride on velocipede
   • 1870, Louisa May Alcott, An Old Fashioned Girl:

     Polly and Maud willingly went, and watched his struggles with deep interest, till he got an upset, which nearly put an end to his velocipeding forever.

See also

• penny farthing, ordinary

Further reading

• Wikipedia entry for bicycle
• The Bicycle Museum of America — examples of the evolution of two-wheeled travel

Danish

Etymology

From French vélocipède (“bicycle”), a compound of Latin velōx (“quick”) +‎ pēs (“foot”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /velosipeːðə/, [ʋelosiˈpʰeðð̩]

Noun

velocipede c (singular definite velocipeden, plural indefinite velocipeder)

1. (historical) velocipede

   Synonym: væltepeter

Declension

Declension of velocipede

common gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	velocipede	velocipeden	velocipeder	velocipederne
genitive	velocipedes	velocipedens	velocipeders	velocipedernes

References

• “velocipede” in Den Danske Ordbog

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from French vélocipède, composed of Latin vēlōci- (“swift”) +‎ pēs, pedem (“foot”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ve.loˈt͡ʃi.pe.de/
• Rhymes: -ipede
• Hyphenation: ve‧lo‧cì‧pe‧de

Noun

velocipede m (plural velocipedi)

1. velocipede

Derived terms

• velocipedastro
• velocipedista
• velocipedistico

See also

• bicicletta

Further reading

• velocipede in Collins Italian-English Dictionary
• velocipede in Aldo Gabrielli, Grandi Dizionario Italiano (Hoepli)
• velocipede in garzantilinguistica.it – Garzanti Linguistica, De Agostini Scuola Spa
• velocìpede in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication
• velocìpede in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana