tandem — a bicycle with seats and pedals for two riders, one behind the other
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: a bicycle with seats and pedals for two riders, one behind the other
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈtændəm/
Example Sentences
- The couple's tandem bike ride ended with them arguing about who wasn't pedaling hard enough.
- The marketing and sales teams must work in tandem to achieve their goals.
- His first tandem skydiving experience was both terrifying and exhilarating.
tandem
NOUN[/ˈtændəm/]
a bicycle with seats and pedals for two riders, one behind the other
The father and son rode a tandem bicycle through the park.
The two horses pulled the carriage in tandem. (Examples: work in tandem, move in tandem, grow in tandem)
What began as a random partnership became perfect teamwork in tandem.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Tandem originates from Latin tandem, meaning 'at length' or 'finally'. In 18th-century Oxford and Cambridge, students humorously applied this word to describe two horses standing in single file, punning on the sense of 'finally arranged in line'. The term later evolved to denote a two-seated bicycle and subsequently any arrangement of two things in series.
Breakdown
Tandem derives from Latin tandem (at length, finally), originally an adverbial form. The word was semantically shifted through wordplay from its temporal meaning to describe spatial arrangement in single file, then lexicalized as a noun for vehicles and paired arrangements.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The couple's tandem bike ride ended with them arguing about who wasn't pedaling hard enough.”
“The marketing and sales teams must work in tandem to achieve their goals.”
“His first tandem skydiving experience was both terrifying and exhilarating.”
“The comedy duo performed in tandem, finishing each other's jokes perfectly.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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