Crossword clues for velocipede
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Velocipede \Ve*loc"i*pede\, n. [L. velox, -ocis, swift + pes, pedis, a foot. See Velocity, and Foot.] A light road carriage propelled by the feet of the rider. Originally it was propelled by striking the tips of the toes on the roadway, but commonly now by the action of the feet on a pedal or pedals connected with the axle of one or more of the wheels, and causing their revolution. They are made in many forms, with two, three, or four wheels. See Bicycle, and Tricycle.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
1819, "wheeled vehicle propelled by alternate thrusts of each foot on the ground," 1819, from French vélocipède (19c.), from Latin velox (genitive velocis) "swift, speedy" (see velocity) + pedem, accusative of pes "foot" (see foot (n.)). The mechanical ancestor of the bicycle, it was tinkered with and improved; the name continued for some time and was applied to an early kind of modern bicycle or tricycle from 1849. See bicycle (n.).\n\nThe Velocipede has been introduced into England, under letters patent, by Mr. Johnson, a coachmaker in Long-Acre, by whom it has been greatly improved, both in lightness and strength. "The road from Ipswich to Whitton," says the Bury paper, "is travelled every evening by several pedestrian hobby-horses; no less than six are seen at a time, and the distance, which is 3 miles, is performed in 15 minutes."
["The Athenaeum," May 1, 1819]
Wiktionary
n. 1 Early two-wheeled conveyance upon which one rode astride a wooden frame propelled by means of pushing the feet against the ground 2 (context archaic English) Generic term for three and four-wheeled machines driven by foot or hand levers to the rear or front axle 3 (context archaic English) a late-1860s bicycle driven by cranks on the front axle 4 a bicycle
WordNet
Wikipedia
Velocipede (; Latin for "fast foot") is a human-powered land vehicle with one or more wheels. The most common type of velocipede today is the bicycle.
The term was probably coined by Karl von Drais for the French translation of his advertising leaflet to describe his version of the Laufmaschine, which he had in 1817. The term "velocipede" is today, however, mainly used as a collective term for the different forerunners of the monowheel, the unicycle, the bicycle, the dicycle, the tricycle and the quadracycle developed between 1817 and 1880.
Velocipede (1825–1850) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a racing career which was restricted by injury he raced nine times in three years, recording seven wins, one second and one third place. Although he ran only in Yorkshire and Lancashire and was beaten into third place in his most important race, the St Leger Stakes, Velocipede was regarded by nineteenth century experts as one of the best British horses of the era. He later became a successful breeding stallion.
Usage examples of "velocipede".
The velocipede itself was not such a novelty to the spectators as the skates had been.
The velocipede came in, all right, and with Cecil pedaling it, but with no Daphne on his shoulders.
Finding and buying another velocipede had been no problem, and Shadid Sarkioglu had volunteered to be the one to learn to ride it.
He rode in and out of shop doorways and, wherever a building was fronted with streetside low stairs, he bounced the velocipede up and down them.
Shadid stood, toweling off the sweat after his long and active velocipede ride.
Maurice and Sunday on the traps, Monday on the rope, Daphne and Yount on their high velocipede, even little Cricket inside her rolling globe.
Daphne was on her Plimpton skates and the Quakemaker on the velocipede, both of them wheeling in and out of the line of march, among the watchers who crowded the sidewalks, in and out of shop doors.
So he rode his velocipede to the center of town, stopped in at the first pub he saw, and had lunch.
His next conscious thought was of picking himself and his velocipede up from the side of the road where he had evidently fallen.
Coop, who had seen to the brakes of each scooter but now peeled off from behind Lovett, who rode smartly into the ivy and fell, damning his demon velocipede and Coop Gunther with equal enthusiasm.
Jean-Claude thundering around the island at top speed in this multiton velocipede, a brontosaurus on wheels.
I do not believe in the penny-farthing or the scooter, the velocipede or the tandem-tourer.
The hind man came back and reported it, and being off duty, I caught up a pocket instrument and some wire, and jumping on a velocipede, was soon at the wreck.
Just then the track walker came into Truxton, and reported that he had come from the river on a velocipede, and that while the track was soft it was not unsafe and the bridge appeared to be all right.
Gustave was off like an arrow and although Max worked the pedals of his new velocipede as fast as he could, he was not able to win the race.