See pedespeed in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"etymology_links": [
[
"foot",
"foot"
],
[
"pes",
"pes"
],
[
"ped-",
"ped-"
],
[
"speed",
"speed"
]
],
"etymology_text": "The term is a combination of the Latin word for foot (pes or ped-) + speed.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "pedespeeds",
"tags": [
"plural"
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"pos": "noun",
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{
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{
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{
"kind": "other",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Footwear",
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"examples": [
{
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[
5,
14
],
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184,
193
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"ref": "1870 March 24, Unattributed, “The Daily Commercial General and Particular”, in The Pittsburgh Commercial:",
"text": "The \"pedespeed\" is the name of the Latest Yankee notion for the purpose of increasing man's natural speed. The velocipede having played out, except as a device to increase labor, the \"pedespeed\" comes in. It consists of two wheels, fourteen or fifteen inches in diameter, one of which is attached firmly to each foot by means of a stirrup-like contrivance, and to those who understand it, possess all the capabilities of the skate.",
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"ref": "1870 April 23, Unattributed, “Sayings and Doings”, in Harper's Bazaar Vol 3 Iss 17:",
"text": "The \"Pedespeed\" is a novel and singular device for making locomotion easy and swift.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
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"ref": "1871, Unattributed, Appletons' journal of popular:",
"text": "Withhold your admiration for a while, good reader, while we explain that it is a new device whereby every one of us may emulate the ancient Mercury, and have winged feet. To be more particular, the \"pedespeed\" is a wheel about fifteen inches in diameter, to which is attached certain stirrup-like appendages, on the bottom of which are foot-pieces shaped like ordinary skates.",
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"ref": "1877, Bernard A. Weisberger, The Life History Of The United States Vol 7, page 30:",
"text": "The Pedespeed seemed to have obvious social advantages, but it had competition from devices like the bicycle skate, a two-wheeled gadget similar to the Pedespeed, and the Decemtuple, a bicycle for 10.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
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78,
87
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"ref": "1955 December 19, Stella Wythe, “Pedespeeds, or Monocycles”, in Ceremonial Marchpane Mold - Spinning Wheel:",
"text": "What have we to concern ourselves about in this presentation of the sprightly pedespeed? Simply this: these devices, when found, constitute an important link in the chain of what one day will be called the history of personal transportation. These devices, really, were more bicycle than roller skate.",
"type": "quotation"
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27,
36
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"ref": "1975, National Geographic Book Service, We Americans, page 335:",
"text": "A surefooted few tried the pedespeed, \"skating\" off with wheels on their heels and look-no-hands flair.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
57,
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"ref": "1980, Polley, Jane; Chaitin, Peter; Reader's Digest Association, Stories behind everyday things, page 146:",
"text": "Pardon me but your wheels are showing. In the 1870's the pedespeed challenges the roller skate—and lost.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
4,
13
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"ref": "1991, Diane L. Umansky, On A Roll!, page 50:",
"text": "The pedespeed, like the pedomotor, was another short-lived invention. But in the 1870s some people enjoyed them anyway!",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
154,
163
]
],
"ref": "2012, Mary Karmelek, Over 100 Years Later, an Old Invention Takes a New Spin:",
"text": "Mr. Luders and his son walked into the Scientific American offices with the invention, and while the elder explained the device, the younger fastened the pedespeed to his feet and performed a rousing demonstration.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A 19th-century Victorian-era invention that served as an early, oversized precursor to roller skates."
],
"id": "en-pedespeed-en-noun-uOyt9rPB",
"links": [
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],
[
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[
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]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(obsolete, historical) A 19th-century Victorian-era invention that served as an early, oversized precursor to roller skates."
],
"tags": [
"historical",
"obsolete"
]
}
],
"word": "pedespeed"
}
{
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[
"foot",
"foot"
],
[
"pes",
"pes"
],
[
"ped-",
"ped-"
],
[
"speed",
"speed"
]
],
"etymology_text": "The term is a combination of the Latin word for foot (pes or ped-) + speed.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "pedespeeds",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
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"pos": "noun",
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{
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"ref": "1870 March 24, Unattributed, “The Daily Commercial General and Particular”, in The Pittsburgh Commercial:",
"text": "The \"pedespeed\" is the name of the Latest Yankee notion for the purpose of increasing man's natural speed. The velocipede having played out, except as a device to increase labor, the \"pedespeed\" comes in. It consists of two wheels, fourteen or fifteen inches in diameter, one of which is attached firmly to each foot by means of a stirrup-like contrivance, and to those who understand it, possess all the capabilities of the skate.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
5,
14
]
],
"ref": "1870 April 23, Unattributed, “Sayings and Doings”, in Harper's Bazaar Vol 3 Iss 17:",
"text": "The \"Pedespeed\" is a novel and singular device for making locomotion easy and swift.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
199,
208
]
],
"ref": "1871, Unattributed, Appletons' journal of popular:",
"text": "Withhold your admiration for a while, good reader, while we explain that it is a new device whereby every one of us may emulate the ancient Mercury, and have winged feet. To be more particular, the \"pedespeed\" is a wheel about fifteen inches in diameter, to which is attached certain stirrup-like appendages, on the bottom of which are foot-pieces shaped like ordinary skates.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
4,
13
],
[
152,
161
]
],
"ref": "1877, Bernard A. Weisberger, The Life History Of The United States Vol 7, page 30:",
"text": "The Pedespeed seemed to have obvious social advantages, but it had competition from devices like the bicycle skate, a two-wheeled gadget similar to the Pedespeed, and the Decemtuple, a bicycle for 10.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
78,
87
]
],
"ref": "1955 December 19, Stella Wythe, “Pedespeeds, or Monocycles”, in Ceremonial Marchpane Mold - Spinning Wheel:",
"text": "What have we to concern ourselves about in this presentation of the sprightly pedespeed? Simply this: these devices, when found, constitute an important link in the chain of what one day will be called the history of personal transportation. These devices, really, were more bicycle than roller skate.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
27,
36
]
],
"ref": "1975, National Geographic Book Service, We Americans, page 335:",
"text": "A surefooted few tried the pedespeed, \"skating\" off with wheels on their heels and look-no-hands flair.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
57,
66
]
],
"ref": "1980, Polley, Jane; Chaitin, Peter; Reader's Digest Association, Stories behind everyday things, page 146:",
"text": "Pardon me but your wheels are showing. In the 1870's the pedespeed challenges the roller skate—and lost.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
4,
13
]
],
"ref": "1991, Diane L. Umansky, On A Roll!, page 50:",
"text": "The pedespeed, like the pedomotor, was another short-lived invention. But in the 1870s some people enjoyed them anyway!",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"bold_text_offsets": [
[
154,
163
]
],
"ref": "2012, Mary Karmelek, Over 100 Years Later, an Old Invention Takes a New Spin:",
"text": "Mr. Luders and his son walked into the Scientific American offices with the invention, and while the elder explained the device, the younger fastened the pedespeed to his feet and performed a rousing demonstration.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A 19th-century Victorian-era invention that served as an early, oversized precursor to roller skates."
],
"links": [
[
"Victorian",
"Victorian"
],
[
"precursor",
"precursor"
],
[
"roller skates",
"roller skates"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(obsolete, historical) A 19th-century Victorian-era invention that served as an early, oversized precursor to roller skates."
],
"tags": [
"historical",
"obsolete"
]
}
],
"word": "pedespeed"
}
Download raw JSONL data for pedespeed meaning in English (4.4kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-10-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-10-01 using wiktextract (c1bb342 and 6f96ddf). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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