ped

¹ American  

1. pedestrian.

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PED ² American  

1. performance-enhancing drug.

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ped- ³ American  

especially British, paed-

1. variant of pedo- before a vowel.

   pedagogic.

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ped- ⁴ American  

1. variant of pedi- before a vowel.

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ped- ⁵ American  

1. variant of pedo- before a vowel.

   pedalfer.

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-ped ⁶ American  

1. a combining form with the meaning “having a foot” of the kind specified by the initial element.

   pinnatiped.

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ped. ⁷ American  

abbreviation

1. pedal.

2. pedestal.

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-ped ¹ British  

combining form

1. foot or feet

   quadruped

   centipede

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ped- ² British  

combining form

1. a variant (esp US) of paedo-

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Usage

What does ped- mean? Ped- is a combining form used like a prefix that has three distinct senses.The first of these senses is “child,” and this form of ped- is occasionally used in a variety of scientific and technical terms. The form ped- in this sense comes from Greek paîs, meaning “child.”The second of these senses is "foot," and this form of ped- is occasionally used in a variety of scientific and technical terms. The form ped- in this sense comes from Latin pēs, meaning "foot."The third of these senses is “soil,” and this form of ped- is very rarely used in a variety of scientific terms. The form ped- in this sense comes from Greek pédon, meaning “ground” or “earth.”What are variants of ped- with the sense “child”?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a consonant, ped- becomes pedo-, as in pedogenesis. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article about pedo-.In British English, ped- in this sense is chiefly spelled paed-, as in paediatrics.What are variants of ped- with the sense “foot”?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a consonant, ped- becomes pedi-, as in pedicab. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article about pedi-.When combined as a final element of a word, the related form -ped means "having a foot." To learn more, read our Words That Use feature on -ped below.What are variants of ped- with the sense “soil”?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a consonant, ped- becomes pedo-, as in pedology. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article about pedo-.

What does -ped mean? The combining form -ped is used like a suffix meaning “having a foot.” It is occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology.The form -ped comes from Latin -pēs, meaning “-footed.” The Greek cognate of -pēs is -pous, “-footed,” which is the source of numerous combining forms that relate to the lower extremities, including pod-, podo-, -pod, -poda, -pode, -podium, and -podous. Discover more at our Words That Use articles for each of these seven forms.What are variants of -ped?A variant of -ped is -pede, as in centipede, which comes from Latin centipeda. Though not a variant, the form pedi- has the same root as -ped. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for -pede and pedi-.

Etymology

Origin of ped¹

By shortening

Origin of -ped⁶

< Latin -ped-, stem of -pēs -footed, adj. derivative of pēs foot