pedal

noun a foot-operated lever or control for a vehicle, musical instrument, or other mechanism, in particular • each of a pair of cranks used for powering a bicycle or other vehicle propelled by leg power. • a foot-operated throttle, brake, or clutch control in a motor vehicle. • each of a set of two or three levers on a piano, particularly (also sustaining pedal) one that, when depressed by the foot, prevents the dampers from stopping the sound when the keys are released. The second is the soft pedal; a third, if present, produces either selective sustaining or complete muffling of the tone. • Music (usu. pedals) each key of an organ keyboard that is played with the feet. • Music short for pedal note (sense 2).