tandem

See also: Tandem and tándem

English

Ponies driving in tandem

Tandem bicycle

Etymology

From Latin tandem (“(of time) at length, at last”). In English, applied humorously (by someone who knew Latin) to two horses harnessed "at length" (i.e., in a single line) instead of side-by-side.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtæn.dəm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

tandem (plural tandems)

1. A carriage pulled by two or more draught animals (generally draught horses) harnessed one behind the other, both providing the pulling power but only the animal in front able to steer. [late 18th C.]
2. (transferred sense) A bicycle or tricycle in which two people sit one behind the other, both able to pedal but only the person in front able to steer. [late 19th C.]
3. (figuratively) A group of two or more people, machines etc. working together; close collaboration.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• in tandem
• tandem axle
• tandem bicycle
• tandem cart
• tandem engine
• tandem harness

• tandem spoke
• tandem system
• tandem trailer
• tandem wheel
• tandemwise
• tridem

Descendants

• → Assamese: টমটম (tomtom)
• → Bengali: টমটম (ṭômṭôm)
• → Catalan: tàndem
• → Czech: tandem
• → Danish: tandem
• → Dutch: tandem
• → Finnish: tandem
• → French: tandem
• → German: Tandem
• → Greek: τάντεμ (tántem)
• → Hungarian: tandem
• → Italian: tandem
• → Polish: tandem
• → Portuguese: tandem
• → Russian: тандем (tandem)
• → Serbo-Croatian: та̀нде̄м (tàndēm)
• → Spanish: tándem

Translations

bicycle

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 雙人自行車, 双人自行车 (shuāngrén zìxíngchē)

• Czech: tandem (cs) m
• Danish: tandem (da) c, tandemcykel c
• Dutch: tandem (nl) m
• Faroese: tvísúkkla f
• Finnish: tandem (fi), tandempyörä
• French: tandem (fr) m
• German: Tandem (de) n
• Greek: τάντεμ n (tántem)

• Hungarian: tandem (hu)
• Ido: tandemo (io)
• Italian: tandem (it) m
• Japanese: タンデム自転車 (tandemu jitensha)
• Korean: 2인용 자전거 (2inyong jajeon-geo)
• Norman: bike à deux f
• Portuguese: tandem (pt) m
• Russian: танде́м (ru) m (tandɛ́m)
• Spanish: tándem m
• Vietnamese: xe đạp đôi

arrangement

• Dutch: tandem (nl) m
• Finnish: tandem (fi)
• Hebrew: טַן דּוּ‎ (he) (tan du)

• Portuguese: fila (pt) f, linha (pt) f
• Russian: танде́м (ru) m (tandɛ́m), па́ра (ru) f (pára)
• Serbo-Croatian: tandem (sh) m

Adverb

tandem (not comparable)

1. One behind the other.

   to ride tandem on a bicycle-built-for-two

   The horses were harnessed tandem.

Synonyms

• in tandem

Translations

One behind the other

• Finnish: peräkanaa (fi)
• Ido: tandeme (io)

• Russian: гусько́м (ru) (gusʹkóm), цу́гом (ru) (cúgom), танде́мом (tandémom) (on a bicycle)
• Tagalog: angkas

Adjective

tandem (not comparable)

1. Together; working as one.

   Their skillful tandem work made the project quick and successful.

Translations

together; working as one

• Dutch: samen- (nl)

• Finnish: yhteistyössä, yhdessä (fi)

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Czech

Etymology

Via German Tandem, from English tandem, originally from Latin tandem (“at last”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtandɛm/

Noun

tandem m

1. tandem

Declension

Declension

	singular	plural
nominative	tandem	tandemy
genitive	tandemu	tandemů
dative	tandemu	tandemům
accusative	tandem	tandemy
vocative	tandeme	tandemy
locative	tandemu	tandemech
instrumental	tandemem	tandemy

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Dutch

Etymology

From Latin tandem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɑn.dɛm/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

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.

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French

Etymology

From Latin tandem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɑ̃.dɛm/

Noun

tandem m (plural tandems)

1. tandem (vehicle, bicycle)

Further reading

• “tandem” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• dament

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Italian

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtan.dem/

Noun

tandem m (invariable)

1. tandem (all senses)

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Latin

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈtan.dem/, [ˈt̪an̪.d̪ɛ̃ˑ]

Adverb

tandem (not comparable)

1. at length, at last, finally, eventually

Related terms

Latin correlatives ^(edit)

type	interrogative	indefinite	(medial) demonstrative	proximal demonstrative	distal demonstrative	relative	indefinite relative	identity	other
basic	quis, quī	quis, quī, quīdam, aliquis, aliquī, quisque, quisquam, aliquisquam, quispiam, ūllus	is, iste, istic	hic	ille, illic	quī	quisquis, quīcumque	ipse, īdem	alter, alius
dual	uter	alteruter, uterque				uter	utercumque
number	quot	aliquot	tot			quot	quotquot, quotcumque	totidem
order	quotus		totus			quotus	quotuscumque
quantity	quam	aliquam	tam			quam	†quamquam	†tamen, †tandem
size	quantus	aliquantus	tantus			quantus	quantuscumque	tantusdem
quality	quālis		tālis			quālis	quālis, quāliscumque
manner	ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum	utique, quī, quōdam modō, aliquō modō	ita, sic, eō/istō modō	hōc modō	illō modō	ut, quī, quō modō, quōmodo, quemadmodum	utut, utcumque, quōmodocumque	item, itidem	aliter, aliōquī, alterō/aliō modō
method, path place	quā	aliquā, quāque	eā, istāc	hāc	illāc	quā	quāquā, quācumque	eādem	aliā
place	ubi	alicubi, ubique, usquam, uspiam	ibi, istic	hīc	illic	ubi	ubiubi, ubicumque	ibidem	alibī, aliās
source	unde	alicunde	inde, istinc	hinc	illinc	unde	undecumque	indidem	aliunde
destination	quō, quōrsum	aliquō, quōquam, quōpiam, °aliquōvorsum	eō, istūc, °istōrsum	hūc, °hōrsum	illūc, °illōrsum	quō	quōquō, quōcumque	eōdem	aliō, aliorsum
time	quandō	quondam, aliquandō, quandōque, umquam	tum, tunc		ōlim	cum, quandō	cumque, quandōcumque, quandōque	simul	aliās
exact time	quota hora		ea/ista hora	hac hora	illa hora	quota hora	quotacumque hora	eadem hora	altera/alia hora
repetition	quotiēns	aliquotiēns	totiēns			quotiēns	quotiēnscumque
multiplication	quotuplex		totuplex			quotuplex
† Turned conjunction with original meaning somewhat dissimulated ° Rare

References

• 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

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Portuguese

Noun

tandem m (plural tandens)

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

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Spanish

Noun

tandem m (plural tandems)

1. tandem
2. language exchange