Ped-

The word root ped- (usually in the combining forms peda-, pedi-, and pedo-) in English and various other Western languages has multiple Latin and Ancient Greek roots, and multiple meanings. Ped- (sometimes spelled paed-, pæd-, or rarely paid-, depending on the word and the language or dialect) is a root in English and many other Western languages, often with divergent spellings, such as ''pet-'', ''pie-'', ''pei-'', etc.

Meanings

Ped- conveys multiple meanings, from different Latin and Ancient Greek root words:
# 'Relating to feet', in words (e.g. ''pedestrian'', ''pedicure'') derived from Latin , genitive , 'foot', from the Proto-Indo-European stem '' *ped-'' with the same meaning. Romance languages' words from this Latin root often take ''pie-'' spellings, as in medieval French and Italian 'foothill' (modern French , Occitan , Italian or ), and Spanish 'foot, feet'. Many words in English and other Western languages relating to feet instead use the Greek-derived cognate ''pod-'' (e.g. '' podiatrist''), and the Greek-derived ''-pus'' may also be used (as in ''octopus'').
# 'Relating to children', from Greek (), meaning 'child', which derived from the Proto-Indo-European stem '' *peu-'', meaning 'small', 'young', or 'few'.Online Etymology Dictionary. (2010). Pedo- Accessed May 9, 2011, from http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pedo- It is usually spelled ''ped-'' in North American English (as in ''pediatrics'' and ''pedophilia''), and pronounced or depending on the word. In Commonwealth English it is more often ''paed-'' (e.g. ''paediatrics'', ''paedophilia''), sometimes with a ligature as ''pæd-'', and almost always pronounced . Rarely in English, words from this root may take an initial ''paid-'' (e.g. ''paidology''), or take only a ''ped-'' not ''paed-'' spelling (''pedagogy'').
# 'Relating to soil', from the Ancient Greek word for 'soil, the ground', or (, ), and 'a plain or field' ()EnglishWordInformation. pedo-, ped-. Accessed May 9, 2011, from http://wordinfo.info/unit/1590
# 'Relating to flatulence', from Latin (infinitive , 'to fart'), the root for words relating to flatulation in several Indo-European languages;Adams, Douglas Q. (1997). ''Indo-European Culture.'' Taylor & Francis,

In meanings 2, 3, and 4, the spelling remains ''ped-'' in Commonwealth English words that begin with these letters. Not all derived words do; e.g., ''petard'' (a small bomb) is from meaning 4, and entered English from Middle French for the same thing (originally literally meaning 'fart', it remains an uncommon Modern French word for 'firecracker').

Relating to children

Commonly in English, it is from the Greek (), originally meaning ' boy'.Marguerite Johnson,Terry Ryan: ''Sexuality in Greek and Roman Society and Literature: A Sourcebook,'' p.110 as well as 'child'."Liddell and Scott," 1968 p.585 Contemporarily, it is more associated with the word 'child'. Words derived from this particular root are spelled ''paed-'' most cases in Commonwealth English varieties (formerly with a ligature, ''pæd-'').

* Pederasty (paederasty), a relationship between an older man and an adolescent boy
*Pediatrics (paediatrics), the branch of medicine devoted to the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents
* Pedology (paedology, also rarely paidology), scientific study of children's behavior and development
* Pedophilia (paedophilia), a paraphilia involving sexual attraction to pre-pubescent children
**"Pedo" or "paedo", slang for "p dophile"
**Pedophile Group, a Danish organization active from 1985 to 2004
** Pedobear, an Internet meme

Relating to feet

Meanings related to feet are from Latin (, 'foot'):
* Pedestal
*Pedestrian
* Pedicab
* Pedicure
* Pedometer
* Pedal
* Podiatrist
A Greek-derived equivalent, ''pod-'', is often employed instead, as in " podiatry". The Greek-based ''-pus'' conveys the same meaning, as in "octopus".

Relating to soil or plains

Ped- can also refer to soil. This root is from Greek (, 'soil', 'the ground')
* Ped, a unit of soil
** Pedon, the smallest unit of soil that exemplifies its character
*Pedalfer, a type of soil containing aluminum and iron oxides
* Pedion, a single-faced crystal; also (capitalized) a brand name of tablet computer; both via analogy with a flat plain or field
*Pedocal, a subdivision of the zonal soil order
*Pedodiversity, variation in soil properties
* Pedogenesis, the process by which soil is formed
* Pedology, scientific study of soils
*Pedometrics, the study of soil formation
** Pedometric mapping, creation of maps based on soil properties
* Pedosphere, the outermost layer of the Earth, composed of soil
* Pedotope, total soil component of the abiotic matrix present in an ecotope
* Pedotransfer function, predictive functions of certain soil properties from more easily measured properties

The derived Greek word and (, 'field or plain')

Relating to flatulence

Another meaning, relating to flatulence, is from Latin (infinitive , 'to fart'). It does not appear in English except in loan words but is the root for words referring to flatulation in several Western languages, often in modified form such as ''pet-''
* Petard, an obsolete type of bomb used for breaching walls and gates
* Spanish and many other words in Romance languages that more literally pertain to passing gas

Other uses

It may also be used at the end of a word, as with encyclopedia (encyclopaedia), and orthopedics (orthopaedics).

Some common English words with this derivation include:

* Pedagogy, the study of teaching and approaches to it; the theory and practice of education.

References

{{Reflist}

Childhood
Words