treadle

Also found in: Thesaurus, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

Related to treadle: Treadle sewing machine

tread·le

(trĕd′l)

A pedal or lever operated by the foot for circular drive, as in a potter's wheel or sewing machine.

intr.v. tread·led, tread·ling, tread·les

To work a treadle.

[Middle English tredel, from Old English, step of a stair, from tredan, to tread.]

tread′ler n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

treadle

(ˈtrɛdəl)

(Mechanical Engineering)

a. a rocking lever operated by the foot to drive a machine

b. (as modifier): a treadle sewing machine.

(Mechanical Engineering) to work (a machine) with a treadle

[Old English tredel, from trǣde something firm, from tredan to tread]

ˈtreadler n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

trea•dle

(ˈtrɛd l)

n., v. -dled, -dling. n.

1. a lever or the like worked by the foot to impart motion to a machine.

v.i.

2. to work a treadle.

[before 1000; Middle English tredel stairstep, Old English. See tread, -le]

treadle

Past participle: treadled
Gerund: treadling

Imperative
treadle
treadle

Present
I treadle
you treadle
he/she/it treadles
we treadle
you treadle
they treadle

Preterite
I treadled
you treadled
he/she/it treadled
we treadled
you treadled
they treadled

Present Continuous
I am treadling
you are treadling
he/she/it is treadling
we are treadling
you are treadling
they are treadling

Present Perfect
I have treadled
you have treadled
he/she/it has treadled
we have treadled
you have treadled
they have treadled

Past Continuous
I was treadling
you were treadling
he/she/it was treadling
we were treadling
you were treadling
they were treadling

Past Perfect
I had treadled
you had treadled
he/she/it had treadled
we had treadled
you had treadled
they had treadled

Future
I will treadle
you will treadle
he/she/it will treadle
we will treadle
you will treadle
they will treadle

Future Perfect
I will have treadled
you will have treadled
he/she/it will have treadled
we will have treadled
you will have treadled
they will have treadled

Future Continuous
I will be treadling
you will be treadling
he/she/it will be treadling
we will be treadling
you will be treadling
they will be treadling

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been treadling
you have been treadling
he/she/it has been treadling
we have been treadling
you have been treadling
they have been treadling

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been treadling
you will have been treadling
he/she/it will have been treadling
we will have been treadling
you will have been treadling
they will have been treadling

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been treadling
you had been treadling
he/she/it had been treadling
we had been treadling
you had been treadling
they had been treadling

Conditional
I would treadle
you would treadle
he/she/it would treadle
we would treadle
you would treadle
they would treadle

Past Conditional
I would have treadled
you would have treadled
he/she/it would have treadled
we would have treadled
you would have treadled
they would have treadled

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	treadle - a lever that is operated with the foot foot lever, foot pedal, pedal accelerator, accelerator pedal, gas pedal, throttle, gas, gun - a pedal that controls the throttle valve; "he stepped on the gas" bicycle, bike, cycle, wheel - a wheeled vehicle that has two wheels and is moved by foot pedals brake pedal - foot pedal that moves a piston in the master brake cylinder clutch pedal, clutch - a pedal or lever that engages or disengages a rotating shaft and a driving mechanism; "he smoothely released the clutch with one foot and stepped on the gas with the other" lever - a rigid bar pivoted about a fulcrum automotive vehicle, motor vehicle - a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not run on rails pipe organ, organ - wind instrument whose sound is produced by means of pipes arranged in sets supplied with air from a bellows and controlled from a large complex musical keyboard soft pedal - a pedal on a piano that moves the action closer to the strings and so soften the sound loud pedal, sustaining pedal - a pedal on a piano that lifts the dampers from the strings and so allows them to continue vibrating
Verb	1.	treadle - tread over; "the brick maker treadles over clay to pick out the stones" trample, tread - tread or stomp heavily or roughly; "The soldiers trampled across the fields"
	2.	treadle - operate (machinery) by a treadle control, operate - handle and cause to function; "do not operate machinery after imbibing alcohol"; "control the lever"

Translations

pedale

treadle

[ˈtredl] N → pedal m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

treadle

[ˈtrɛd^əl] n → pédale f (de machine à coudre, de métier à tisser)

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

treadle

n (of sewing machine) → Tretkurbel f, → Pedal nt; (of lathe also) → Fußhebel m

vi → treten

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

treadle

[ˈtrɛdl] n → pedale m

References in classic literature ?

A little black girl sat on the floor, and with her hands worked the treadle of the machine.

View in context

He saw God's foot upon the treadle of the loom, and spoke it; and therefore his shipmates called him mad.

View in context

"Oh, now, really I didn't notice you," said she, taking a few turns of the treadle and steering the machine across to them.

View in context

"It stumbles, and gives you the most awful tosses, and it goes lame by its treadles and thingamejigs coming off, and it wears out, and is twice as much trouble to keep clean and scrape the mud off as a horse, and all sorts of things.

View in context

Ergonomic designs include floor and firewall mounting configurations; and optional kick down and customizable treadle covers.

Curtiss-Wright to Showcase On-Highway Vehicle Solutions at EHVT 2019

Tooth fillings were performed by dentists using a slow treadle drill and no anaesthetic.

How did we all survive 1950s?

This foot-powered (treadle) sewing machine called "The Wanamaker." It was given to my mother in the early 1900s and is in good working condition.

Antique sewing machine relies on foot power

ACE Snoopy Tennis Q Can you give me a value on my old treadle sewing machine, which is in a carved wooden cabinet and comes complete with the original tools?

What's it worth? On Antiques & Collectables

There was no "take the second right after where t'Dog And Duck used to be and make sure thy ankles are widdershins, or treadle will be put out o'skew...

In need of a change of direction

Using grandma's treadle Singer, and worn-out gloves for a pattern, they sewed their own new gloves and also mittens to wear during winter chores.