peloton

See also: Peloton and pelotón

English

WOTD – 24 July 2022

Etymology

The peloton at the start of the Boise to Idaho City stage of the Women’s Challenge race in June 1998.

Borrowed from French peloton (“small ball (of thread, etc.), pellet; (cycling) group of riders formed during a cycling road race; (military) small group of soldiers, platoon”), from pelote (“small ball (of thread, etc.)”) (ultimately from Latin pila (“ball; ball game; globe, sphere”) (probably referring to a ball of hair), from pilus (“strand of hair”), from Proto-Indo-European *pil- (“strand of hair”)) + -on (augmentative suffix). Doublet of platoon.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛlətɒn/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˌpɛləˈtɑn/
• Rhymes: (GA pronunciation) -ɒn
• Hyphenation: pe‧lot‧on

Noun

peloton (plural pelotons)

1. (cycle racing) A group of riders formed during a cycling road race; especially, the main group of riders; the pack.
   • 2006 July 15, “Tour de France 2006: Life is rarely dull among the bottle-carriers and peloton pushers”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian‎^[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 15 March 2016:

     For the most part, though, the good stuff did not come in following a break of three riders, nor sitting 20 metres in front of the peloton watching its arrow head glide across the plains of south-west France. It was at the back of the peloton, in the engine room, where things really got interesting. It is a remarkable thing, the peloton. In the distance, or from the aerial shots showing it stretching and contracting, or splitting down the middle to allow it to flow smoothly around a roundabout, the 175 individual cyclists resemble a single unit, a fluid, malleable whole.

   • 2012 July 15, Richard Williams, “Tour de France 2012: Carpet tacks cannot force Bradley Wiggins off track”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian‎^[2], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 31 March 2022:

     The summit of the climb came 38km from the end of stage 14, which began in Limoux and ended in Foix in the foothills of the Pyrenees, and the incident occurred as the peloton emerged into the light and passed under the banner at the top, a quarter of an hour behind a five-man breakaway.

2. (military, chiefly historical) Synonym of platoon (“a small group of soldiers”) or synonym of section (cognate with the former; not invariably synonymous with it, depending on century of use)
   • 1819, Jedadiah Cleishbotham [pseudonym; Walter Scott], chapter VI, in Tales of My Landlord, Third Series. […], volume IV (A Legend of Montrose), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC, page 135:

     And so here, I suppose you intend to make a stand against your followers, Ranald—voto a Dios, as the Spaniard says—a very pretty position—as pretty a position for a small peloton of men as I have seen in my service—no enemy can come towards it by the road without being at the mercy of cannon and musket.

   • 1840 November, R[ichard] W[illiam] H[oward] Howard Vyse, “Some Account of the Composition and Force of the Egyptian Army”, in The United Service Journal and Naval and Military Magazine, part III, number 144, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 307:

     A regiment of cavalry consists of six squadrons, each squadron of four pelotons, each peloton of two companies, each company of two escouardes, and each escouarde of two men.

   • 1864, Richard F[rancis] Burton, “We Enter Whydah in State”, in A Mission to Gelele, King of Dahome. […], volume I, London: Tinsley Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 44:

     Then the chief of each peloton came forward, snapped fingers with us as we sat on our chairs under the tree, our guards ranged on the right, a mob of gazers—women scratching and boys pulling—on the left, and an open space in front.

   • 2000, Margers Vestermanis, “Local Headquarters Liepaja: Two Months of German Occupation in the Summer of 1941”, in Hannes Heer, Klaus Naumann, editors, War of Extermination: The German Military in World War II, 1941–1944 (Studies on War and Genocide; 3), New York, N.Y.: Berghahn Books, published 2009, →ISBN, page 232:

     In Bauske, on 2 July, the local commandant had twenty hostages publicly shot at the Memel bridge by a peloton supplied by the local headquarters, allegedly in "reprisal" for the German soldiers who had fallen in the battles for the town.

Usage notes

Not to be confused with peleton (“small pellet or ball”).

Translations

group of riders formed during a cycling road race; especially, the main group of riders

• Basque: pelotoi, tropel
• Catalan: escamot (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 大部隊／大部队 (dàbùduì)

• Czech: peloton (cs) m
• Dutch: peloton (nl) n
• Finnish: pääjoukko, peloton (fi)
• French: peloton (fr) m
• German: Peloton (de) n, Hauptfeld n, Pulk (de) n
• Hebrew: דבוקה (he) f
• Hungarian: boly (hu)
• Ido: pelotono (io)
• Italian: plotone (it) m, gruppo (it) m
• Korean: 펠러톤 (pelleoton)
• Lithuanian: pelotons ?
• Polish: peleton (pl) m
• Portuguese: pelotão (pt) m
• Romanian: pluton (ro) n
• Russian: пелото́н (ru) m (pelotón)
• Spanish: pelotón (es) m
• Swedish: klunga (sv) c, tätklunga (sv) c
• Ukrainian: пелото́н ? (pelotón)

synonym of platoon — see platoon

Further reading

• peloton on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• peloton (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• glossary of cycling on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• ploonet

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpɛloton]

Noun

peloton m inan

1. peloton

Declension

Declension of peloton (hard masculine inanimate)

	singular	plural
nominative	peloton	pelotony
genitive	pelotonu	pelotonů
dative	pelotonu	pelotonům
accusative	peloton	pelotony
vocative	pelotone	pelotony
locative	pelotonu	pelotonech
instrumental	pelotonem	pelotony

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French peloton, derived in turn from pelote +‎ -on.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

peloton n (plural pelotons, diminutive pelotonnetje n)

1. platoon
2. (cycling) peloton

Derived terms

• executiepeloton
• mortierpeloton
• pelotonrijden
• pelotonscommandant
• pelotonsgewijze
• pelotonsvuur
• strafpeloton
• tankpeloton
• verkenningspeloton
• vuurpeloton

 

Descendants

• → Caribbean Hindustani: paltan

Anagrams

• ontlope

Esperanto

Noun

peloton

1. accusative singular future nominal passive participle of peli

Finnish

Etymology

pelko +‎ -ton

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpeloton/, [ˈpe̞lo̞t̪o̞n]
• Rhymes: -eloton
• Syllabification^(key): pe‧lo‧ton

Adjective

peloton (comparative pelottomampi, superlative pelottomin)

1. fearless, daring

Declension

Inflection of peloton (Kotus type 34*C/onneton, tt-t gradation)
nominative		peloton	pelottomat
genitive		pelottoman	pelottomien
partitive		pelotonta	pelottomia
illative		pelottomaan	pelottomiin
		singular	plural
nominative		peloton	pelottomat
accusative	nom.	peloton	pelottomat
	gen.	pelottoman
genitive		pelottoman	pelottomien pelotontenrare
partitive		pelotonta	pelottomia
inessive		pelottomassa	pelottomissa
elative		pelottomasta	pelottomista
illative		pelottomaan	pelottomiin
adessive		pelottomalla	pelottomilla
ablative		pelottomalta	pelottomilta
allative		pelottomalle	pelottomille
essive		pelottomana	pelottomina
translative		pelottomaksi	pelottomiksi
abessive		pelottomatta	pelottomitta
instructive		—	pelottomin
comitative		—	pelottomine

Possessive forms of peloton (Kotus type 34*C/onneton, tt-t gradation)
Rare. Only used with substantive adjectives.
first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative pelottomani pelottomani accusative nom. pelottomani pelottomani gen. pelottomani genitive pelottomani pelottomieni pelotontenirare partitive pelotontani pelottomiani inessive pelottomassani pelottomissani elative pelottomastani pelottomistani illative pelottomaani pelottomiini adessive pelottomallani pelottomillani ablative pelottomaltani pelottomiltani allative pelottomalleni pelottomilleni essive pelottomanani pelottominani translative pelottomakseni pelottomikseni abessive pelottomattani pelottomittani instructive — — comitative — pelottomineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative pelottomasi pelottomasi accusative nom. pelottomasi pelottomasi gen. pelottomasi genitive pelottomasi pelottomiesi pelotontesirare partitive pelotontasi pelottomiasi inessive pelottomassasi pelottomissasi elative pelottomastasi pelottomistasi illative pelottomaasi pelottomiisi adessive pelottomallasi pelottomillasi ablative pelottomaltasi pelottomiltasi allative pelottomallesi pelottomillesi essive pelottomanasi pelottominasi translative pelottomaksesi pelottomiksesi abessive pelottomattasi pelottomittasi instructive — — comitative — pelottominesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative pelottomamme pelottomamme accusative nom. pelottomamme pelottomamme gen. pelottomamme genitive pelottomamme pelottomiemme pelotontemmerare partitive pelotontamme pelottomiamme inessive pelottomassamme pelottomissamme elative pelottomastamme pelottomistamme illative pelottomaamme pelottomiimme adessive pelottomallamme pelottomillamme ablative pelottomaltamme pelottomiltamme allative pelottomallemme pelottomillemme essive pelottomanamme pelottominamme translative pelottomaksemme pelottomiksemme abessive pelottomattamme pelottomittamme instructive — — comitative — pelottominemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative pelottomanne pelottomanne accusative nom. pelottomanne pelottomanne gen. pelottomanne genitive pelottomanne pelottomienne pelotontennerare partitive pelotontanne pelottomianne inessive pelottomassanne pelottomissanne elative pelottomastanne pelottomistanne illative pelottomaanne pelottomiinne adessive pelottomallanne pelottomillanne ablative pelottomaltanne pelottomiltanne allative pelottomallenne pelottomillenne essive pelottomananne pelottominanne translative pelottomaksenne pelottomiksenne abessive pelottomattanne pelottomittanne instructive — — comitative — pelottominenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative pelottomansa pelottomansa accusative nom. pelottomansa pelottomansa gen. pelottomansa genitive pelottomansa pelottomiensa pelotontensarare partitive pelotontaan pelotontansa pelottomiaan pelottomiansa inessive pelottomassaan pelottomassansa pelottomissaan pelottomissansa elative pelottomastaan pelottomastansa pelottomistaan pelottomistansa illative pelottomaansa pelottomiinsa adessive pelottomallaan pelottomallansa pelottomillaan pelottomillansa ablative pelottomaltaan pelottomaltansa pelottomiltaan pelottomiltansa allative pelottomalleen pelottomallensa pelottomilleen pelottomillensa essive pelottomanaan pelottomanansa pelottominaan pelottominansa translative pelottomakseen pelottomaksensa pelottomikseen pelottomiksensa abessive pelottomattaan pelottomattansa pelottomittaan pelottomittansa instructive — — comitative — pelottomineen pelottominensa

Derived terms

• pelottomasti
• pelottomuus

Related terms

• pelko
• pelokas
• pelätä

Further reading

• “peloton”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[3] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-03

Anagrams

• peltoon

French

Etymology

From pelote +‎ -on.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pə.lɔ.tɔ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

peloton m (plural pelotons)

1. small ball (of thread etc.)
2. (military) platoon
3. pack, bunch (of cyclists etc.)

Derived terms

• peloton d’exécution
• pelotonner, pelotonnement
• pelotonneur

Descendants

• → English: peloton
• → German: Peloton
• → Portuguese: pelotão
• → Spanish: pelotón

Further reading

• “peloton”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.