tandem

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See also: Tandem and tándem

English[edit]

WOTD – 3 June 2024

Etymology[edit]

PIE word
*téh₂m
A tandem bicycle (noun sense 2.2.1).
Ponies driving in tandem (adverb sense).

The noun is borrowed from Latin tandem (“of time: at last, at length, finally”), applied humorously in English to two horses harnessed “at length” (that is, in a single line) instead of side-by-side.[1][2] Tandem is derived from tam (“so, to such an extent”) + -dem (demonstrative suffix).

The adjective,[1] adverb,[2] and verb[3] are derived from the noun.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

tandem (countable and uncountable, plural tandems) (also attributive)

  1. (countable) A carriage pulled by two or more draught animals (generally draught horses) harnessed one behind the other, both providing pulling power but only the animal in front being able to steer. [from mid 18th c.]
    • 1804, Maria Edgeworth, “The Contrast. Chapter II. Ignorance of Things, into which It is a Duty to Enquire, is the Cause of Many Odious Vices.”, in Popular Tales, volume III, London: Printed for J[oseph] Johnson, […], [b]y C. Mercier and Co., […], →OCLC, page 30:
      [H]e was a man whose head was at this time entirely full of gigs, and tandems, and unicorns: business was his aversion; pleasure was his business.
    • 1807 August 11, Lord Byron, “Letter XVII. To Miss ——.”, in Thomas Moore, editor, Letters and Journals of Lord Byron: With Notices of His Life, […], volume I, London: John Murray, […], published 1830, →OCLC, pages 118–119:
      A friend of mine accompanies me in my carriage to Edinburgh. There we shall leave it, and proceed in a tandem (a species of open carriage) through the western passes to Inverary, where we shall purchase shelties, to enable us to view places inaccessible to vehicular conveyances.
    • 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, “In which Pendennis Appears as a Very Young Man Indeed”, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume I, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849, →OCLC, page 31:
      Mr. Foker was no more like a gentleman now than in his school days: and yet Pen felt a secret pride in strutting down High Street with a young fellow who owned tandems, talked to officers, and ordered turtle and champagne for dinner.
    • 1859–1861, [Thomas Hughes], “St. Ambrose’s College”, in Tom Brown at Oxford: […], part 1st, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, published 1861, →OCLC, page 3:
      The chief characteristic of this set was the most reckless extravagance of every kind. […] They drove tandems in all directions, scattering their ample allowances, which they treated as pocket money, about roadside inns and Oxford taverns with open hand, and going tick for every thing which could by possibility be booked.
  2. (by extension, countable)
    1. Two draught animals (generally draught horses) harnessed one behind the other.
      • [1903], Charles Dudley, “Equine London”, in George R[obert] Sims, editor, Living London: Its Work and Its Play, Its Humour and Its Pathos, Its Sights and Its Scenes, special edition, volume II, section I, London: Cassell and Company, →OCLC, pages 158–159, column 2:
        Later in the day the Row is empty, but, on the other hand, the pleasure horse monopolises the circle, now comparatively deserted. Singly, in pairs, tandems, and fours, he draws the family carriage with a lozenge on the panels, the brougham of the fashionable doctor, the coupé of the popular actress, the man about town's smart dog-cart.
    2. A thing with two components arranged one behind the other.
      tandem canoe    tandem engine
      2. (specifically, cycling) Short for tandem bicycle (“a bicycle or tricycle in which two people sit one behind the other, both able to pedal but only the person in front being able to steer”). [from late 19th c.]
    3. (medicine) A hollow metal tube containing radioactive material, inserted through the vagina into the uterus to treat gynecological cancer.
      • 2007, Akila N. Viswanathan, Daniel G. Petereit, “Gynecologic Brachytherapy”, in Phillip M. Devlin, editor, Brachytherapy: Applications and Techniques, Philadelphia, Pa.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, →ISBN, page 236:
        If an interstitial implant is placed in a patient with an intact uterus, a tandem should be inserted and loaded with cesium 137 or iridium 192.
  3. (figurative)
    1. (countable) A group of two or more machines, people, etc., working together; hence (uncountable), close collaboration.
    2. (uncountable, education) A method of language learning based on mutual exchange, where ideally each learner is a native speaker in the language the other person wants to learn.
      • 2007, Jane Woodin, “Intercultural Positioning: Tandem Conversations about Word Meaning”, in Regina Weinert, editor, Spoken Language Pragmatics: An Analysis of Form-Function Relations, London; New York, N.Y.: Continuum, →ISBN, page 208:
        Spanish and English tandem learners discuss the meaning of a given word in a semi-structured conversation. […] Tandem learning is the term used to describe the learning which takes place when native speakers and learners of each other's language learn from each other and help each other learn. […] Tandem learners are responsible for identifying their own needs, setting their own coals and finding means to achieve them.

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

Translations[edit]

short for tandem bicycle — see tandem bicycle
close collaboration — see collaboration

Adverb[edit]

tandem (not comparable)

  1. One behind the other; in single file.
    Synonym: in tandem
    The horses were harnessed tandem.
    to ride tandem on a bicycle built for two
  2. (figurative) In close collaboration; collaboratively, cooperatively.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

in close collaboration — see collaboratively,‎ cooperatively

Adjective[edit]

tandem (not comparable)

  1. With two components arranged one behind the other.
  2. (figurative) Working together collaboratively.
    Their skillful tandem work made the project quick and successful.

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

tandem (third-person singular simple present tandems, present participle tandeming, simple past and past participle tandemed)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) Synonym of tandemize (“(transitive) to harness or drive (two draught animals, generally draught horses) one behind the other; to set up (two or more things, such as pieces or equipment) to work in tandem or together; (intransitive) to drive a tandem (‘carriage pulled by two or more draught animals (generally draught horses) harnessed one behind the other’)”)
    • 1861, “a retired civil engineer” [pseudonym], “Westport—The Killeries”, in Ierne. Or, Anecdotes and Incidents during a Life Chiefly in Ireland. […] (First Series), London: Partridge and Co., […], →OCLC, page 208:
      [O]ur dog-cart having come to hand, from the hilliness of the road, we tandemed the ten miles due west, along the southern shore of Clew Bay.
    • 1866 May 1, “Visits to the Paradise of Artists. IV. Pompeii.—The Enchanting Sights and Disenchanting Sounds of Naples.—Capri.”, in The Art-Journal, volume V (New Series), London: Virtue & Co., page 129, column 2:
      And sometimes these nymphs [on frescoes] are tandeming the daintiest little gryphons so pleasantly that one longs (in the dream) to be with them, not fearing a reverse.
    • 1886 July 9, “Pencilled Paragraphs”, in The Cycle, volume I, number 15, Boston, Mass.: Abbot Bassett, →OCLC, page 263, column 3:
      Hendee is located at the New Marlboro', and is tandeming with his lady friends through the Newtons daily.
    • 1898 July 16, “The Gentle Art. Harry Druidale, Fisherman, from Manxland to England. By Henry Cadman. London: Macmillan & Co. [book review]”, in [Thomas Wemyss Reid], editor, The Speaker, London: The Speaker Office, →OCLC, page 87:
      Mr. Cadman gives a humorous description of their journey, as they tandemed the donkey to drag their impedimenta up the slope of 1,200 feet.
    • 1971 November, H. Seidel, “A Microwave Feed-forward Experiment”, in The Bell System Technical Journal, volume 50, number 9, New York, N.Y.: American Telephone and Telegraph Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2892:
      [A]n excessively dissipative error cancellation delay line is unacceptable, since that line directly tandems the main power amplifier.
    • 1989, Andrew Scott [pseudonym; Lionel Trapes?], chapter 3, in The Oyster, volume IV, New York, N.Y.: Blue Moon Books, published 2006, →ISBN, page 80:
      Charlotte, who I had not yet had the chance to do more than talk to, was tandeming [on a tandem bicycle] with George but each was accusing the other of not putting in their fare share of the pedalling.
    • 1990, Coyne Steven Sanders, Rainbow’s End: The Judy Garland Show, New York, N.Y.: William Morrow and Company, →ISBN, page 233:
      No strained informality this as Judy [Garland] tandemed provocative chatter with her guests Lena Horne and Terry-Thomas.
    • 2002, Regis J. (Bud) Bates, “Frame Relay”, in Broadband Telecommunications Handbook (McGraw-Hill Telecommunications), 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill, →ISBN, page 205:
      Remote-office-to-remote-office communication happens by tandeming through the headquarters router. The headquarters router and port connection can become bottlenecks. Network latency increases with tandeming.

Translations[edit]

synonym of tandemize — see tandemize

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 “tandem, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 “tandem, n.1 and adv.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2023.
  3. ^ “tandem, v.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2023.

Further reading[edit]

Czech[edit]

Czech Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia cs

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from German Tandem, from English tandem,[1] originally from Latin tandem (“at last”).[2]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

tandem m inan

  1. tandem

Declension[edit]

Declension of tandem (hard masculine inanimate)
singular plural
nominative tandem tandemy
genitive tandemu tandemů
dative tandemu tandemům
accusative tandem tandemy
vocative tandeme tandemy
locative tandemu tandemech
instrumental tandemem tandemy

References[edit]

  1. ^ Machek, Václav (1968) Etymologický slovník jazyka českého [Etymological Dictionary of the Czech Language], 2nd edition, Prague: Academia
  2. ^ "tandem" in Jiří Rejzek, Český etymologický slovník, electronic version, Leda, 2007

Dutch[edit]

Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nl

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English tandem.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

tandem m (plural tandems, diminutive tandempje n)

  1. tandem (vehicle, bicycle)
  2. tandem (arrangement)
  3. (biology) A phase in the mating ritual of dragonflies.
  4. A pair, a couple, a duo.

Finnish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

< Latin tandem via English tandem

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈtɑndem/, [ˈt̪ɑ̝nde̞m]
  • Rhymes: -ɑndem
  • Syllabification(key): tan‧dem

Noun[edit]

tandem

  1. tandem bicycle
    Synonym: tandempyörä
  2. Synonym of jonovaljakko (“tandem”) (team of draft animals harnessed in a row).
  3. (in compounds) tandem-
    Synonym: jono-

Declension[edit]

Inflection of tandem (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)
nominative tandem tandemit
genitive tandemin tandemien
tandemeiden
tandemeitten
partitive tandemia tandemeita
tandemeja
illative tandemiin tandemeihin
singular plural
nominative tandem tandemit
accusative nom. tandem tandemit
gen. tandemin
genitive tandemin tandemien
tandemeiden
tandemeitten
partitive tandemia tandemeita
tandemeja
inessive tandemissa tandemeissa
elative tandemista tandemeista
illative tandemiin tandemeihin
adessive tandemilla tandemeilla
ablative tandemilta tandemeilta
allative tandemille tandemeille
essive tandemina tandemeina
translative tandemiksi tandemeiksi
abessive tandemitta tandemeitta
instructive — tandemein
comitative See the possessive forms below.
Possessive forms of tandem (Kotus type 6/paperi, no gradation)
first-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative tandemini tandemini
accusative nom. tandemini tandemini
gen. tandemini
genitive tandemini tandemieni
tandemeideni
tandemeitteni
partitive tandemiani tandemeitani
tandemejani
inessive tandemissani tandemeissani
elative tandemistani tandemeistani
illative tandemiini tandemeihini
adessive tandemillani tandemeillani
ablative tandemiltani tandemeiltani
allative tandemilleni tandemeilleni
essive tandeminani tandemeinani
translative tandemikseni tandemeikseni
abessive tandemittani tandemeittani
instructive — —
comitative — tandemeineni
second-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative tandemisi tandemisi
accusative nom. tandemisi tandemisi
gen. tandemisi
genitive tandemisi tandemiesi
tandemeidesi
tandemeittesi
partitive tandemiasi tandemeitasi
tandemejasi
inessive tandemissasi tandemeissasi
elative tandemistasi tandemeistasi
illative tandemiisi tandemeihisi
adessive tandemillasi tandemeillasi
ablative tandemiltasi tandemeiltasi
allative tandemillesi tandemeillesi
essive tandeminasi tandemeinasi
translative tandemiksesi tandemeiksesi
abessive tandemittasi tandemeittasi
instructive — —
comitative — tandemeinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative tandemimme tandemimme
accusative nom. tandemimme tandemimme
gen. tandemimme
genitive tandemimme tandemiemme
tandemeidemme
tandemeittemme
partitive tandemiamme tandemeitamme
tandemejamme
inessive tandemissamme tandemeissamme
elative tandemistamme tandemeistamme
illative tandemiimme tandemeihimme
adessive tandemillamme tandemeillamme
ablative tandemiltamme tandemeiltamme
allative tandemillemme tandemeillemme
essive tandeminamme tandemeinamme
translative tandemiksemme tandemeiksemme
abessive tandemittamme tandemeittamme
instructive — —
comitative — tandemeinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative tandeminne tandeminne
accusative nom. tandeminne tandeminne
gen. tandeminne
genitive tandeminne tandemienne
tandemeidenne
tandemeittenne
partitive tandemianne tandemeitanne
tandemejanne
inessive tandemissanne tandemeissanne
elative tandemistanne tandemeistanne
illative tandemiinne tandemeihinne
adessive tandemillanne tandemeillanne
ablative tandemiltanne tandemeiltanne
allative tandemillenne tandemeillenne
essive tandeminanne tandemeinanne
translative tandemiksenne tandemeiksenne
abessive tandemittanne tandemeittanne
instructive — —
comitative — tandemeinenne
third-person possessor
singular plural
nominative tandeminsa tandeminsa
accusative nom. tandeminsa tandeminsa
gen. tandeminsa
genitive tandeminsa tandemiensa
tandemeidensa
tandemeittensa
partitive tandemiaan
tandemiansa 		tandemeitaan
tandemejaan
tandemeitansa
tandemejansa
inessive tandemissaan
tandemissansa 		tandemeissaan
tandemeissansa
elative tandemistaan
tandemistansa 		tandemeistaan
tandemeistansa
illative tandemiinsa tandemeihinsa
adessive tandemillaan
tandemillansa 		tandemeillaan
tandemeillansa
ablative tandemiltaan
tandemiltansa 		tandemeiltaan
tandemeiltansa
allative tandemilleen
tandemillensa 		tandemeilleen
tandemeillensa
essive tandeminaan
tandeminansa 		tandemeinaan
tandemeinansa
translative tandemikseen
tandemiksensa 		tandemeikseen
tandemeiksensa
abessive tandemittaan
tandemittansa 		tandemeittaan
tandemeittansa
instructive — —
comitative — tandemeineen
tandemeinensa

Derived terms[edit]

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English tandem.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

tandem m (plural tandems)

  1. tandem (vehicle, bicycle)

Further reading[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Ido[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin tandem.

Pronunciation[edit]

Adverb[edit]

tandem

  1. (neologism) finally, at last, eventually
    Synonym: fine

Italian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English tandem.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

tandem m (invariable)

  1. tandem (all senses)

References[edit]

  1. ^ tandem in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Latin[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From tam (“so”) +‎ -dem (“new interpreted particle from īdem”). Compare with its earlier doublet: tamen. Both with original meaning supposedly "so(much)ever".

Pronunciation[edit]

Adverb[edit]

tandem (not comparable)

  1. at length, at last, finally, eventually
    • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.304:
      Tandem hīs Aenēān compellat vōcibus ultrō: [...].
      At last [Dido] – of her own accord – confronts Aeneas, to say to him: [...].
  2. used also as an adverbial intensifier of interrogatives to a somewhat greater degree than -nam

Usage notes[edit]

Synonyms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Latin correlatives (edit)
type demonstrative anaphoric identity interrogative/
relative		 indefinite negative other
proximal medial distal relative indefinite universal free choice negative polarity
basic hic iste, istic ille, illic is ipse, īdem quis/quī quisquis, quīcumque quis, quī, quīdam, aliquis, aliquī, quispiam quisque quīvis, quīlibet quisquam, ūllus, °aliquisquam nēmō, nihil, nūllus alius
dual uter utercumque alteruter uterque utervīs, uterlibet neuter alter
place hīc istīc illīc ibī̆ ibī̆dem ubī̆ ubiubi, ubī̆cumque alicubī, uspiam ubīque ubivīs, ubilibet usquam nusquam, nūllibī alibī, aliās
source hinc istinc illinc inde indidem unde undecumque, undeunde alicunde undique °undelibet aliunde
destination hūc, °hōrsum istūc, °istōrsum illūc, °illōrsum eō eōdem quō, quōrsum quōquō, quōcumque aliquō, quōpiam, °aliquōvorsum quōvīs, quōlibet quōquam nusquam, nūllōrsum aliō, aliōrsum
method,
means,
path,
place 		hāc istāc illāc eā eādem quā quāquā, quācumque aliquā quāque quāvīs, quālibet nēquāquam, haudquāquam aliā
manner hōc modō istō modō illō modō ita, sīc,
eō modō		 item, itidem ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum utut, utcumque, quōmodocumque quī, quōdam modō, aliquō modō utique quōmodolibet ūllō modō nūllō modō aliter, aliōquī, alterō/aliō modō
time num, nunc ōlim tum, tunc simul quandō, ‡cum cumque, quandōcumque, quandōque quondam, aliquandō quandōque quandōlibet umquam numquam aliās
quantity tam †tamen, †tandem quam †quamquam aliquam quamvīs, quamlibet
size tantus tantusdem quantus quantuscumque aliquantus quantusvīs, quantuslibet
quality tālis quālis quālis, quāliscumque aliquālis quālislibet
number tot totidem quot quotquot, quotcumque aliquot quotlibet
order totus quotus quotuscumque aliquotus quotuslibet
repetition totiēns quotiēns quotiēnscumque aliquotiēns quotiēnslibet
multiplication totuplex quotuplex
† Turned conjunction with original meaning somewhat dissimulated
° Rare
‡only used as a conjunction, not as an interrogative

Descendants[edit]

References[edit]

  • “tandem”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • “tandem”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • tandem in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN

Portuguese[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

  • Hyphenation: tan‧dem

Noun[edit]

tandem m (plural tandens)

  1. tandem (bicycle with two seats and two sets of pedals)

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from French tandem.

Noun[edit]

tandem n (plural tandemuri)

  1. tandem

Declension[edit]

Declension of tandem
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) tandem tandemul (niște) tandemuri tandemurile
genitive/dative (unui) tandem tandemului (unor) tandemuri tandemurilor
vocative tandemule tandemurilor

Spanish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

tandem m (plural tandems)

  1. tandem
  2. language exchange
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