Ped-

The word root ped- (usually in the combining forms peda-, pedi-, and pedo-) in English and various other Western languages has multiple Latin and Ancient Greek roots, and multiple meanings. Ped- (sometimes spelled paed-, pæd-, or rarely paid-, depending on the word and the language or dialect) is a root in English and many other Western languages, often with divergent spellings, such as pet-, pie-, pei-, etc.
Meanings
Ped- conveys multiple meanings, from different Latin and Ancient Greek root words:
# 'Relating to feet', in words (e.g. pedestrian, pedicure) derived from Latin , genitive , 'foot', from the Proto-Indo-European stem ' with the same meaning. Romance languages' words from this Latin root often take pie- spellings, as in medieval French and Italian 'foothill' (modern French , Occitan , Italian or ), and Spanish 'foot, feet'. Many words in English and other Western languages relating to feet instead use the Greek-derived cognate pod- (e.g. podiatrist), and the Greek-derived -pus may also be used (as in octopus).
# 'Relating to children', from Greek (), meaning 'child', which derived from the Proto-Indo-European stem ', meaning 'small', 'young', or 'few'. It is usually spelled ped- in North American English (as in pediatrics and pedophilia), and pronounced or depending on the word. In Commonwealth English it is more often paed- (e.g. paediatrics, paedophilia), sometimes with a ligature as pæd-, and almost always pronounced . Rarely in English, words from this root may take an initial paid- (e.g. paidology), or take only a ped- not paed- spelling (pedagogy).
# 'Relating to soil', from the Ancient Greek word for 'soil, the ground', or (, ), and 'a plain or field' ()
# 'Relating to flatulence', from Latin (infinitive , 'to fart'), the root for words relating to flatulation in several Indo-European languages;
In meanings 2, 3, and 4, the spelling remains ped- in Commonwealth English words that begin with these letters. Not all derived words do; e.g., petard (a small bomb) is from meaning 4, and entered English from Middle French for the same thing (originally literally meaning 'fart', it remains an uncommon Modern French word for 'firecracker').
Relating to children
Commonly in English, it is from the Greek (), originally meaning 'boy'. as well as 'child'. Contemporarily, it is more associated with the word 'child'. Words derived from this particular root are spelled paed- most cases in Commonwealth English varieties (formerly with a ligature, pæd-).
*Pederasty (paederasty), a relationship between an older man and an adolescent boy
*Pediatrics (paediatrics), the branch of medicine devoted to the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents
*Pedology (paedology, also rarely paidology), scientific study of children's behavior and development
*Pedophilia (paedophilia), a paraphilia involving sexual attraction to pre-pubescent children
**"Pedo" or "paedo", slang for "pedophile"
**Pedophile Group, a Danish organization active from 1985 to 2004
**Pedobear, an Internet meme
Relating to feet
Meanings related to feet are from Latin (, 'foot'):
*Pedestal
*Pedestrian
*Pedicab
*Pedicure
*Pedometer
*Pedal
*Podiatrist
A Greek-derived equivalent, pod-, is often employed instead, as in "podiatry". The Greek-based -pus conveys the same meaning, as in "octopus".
Relating to soil or plains
Ped- can also refer to soil. This root is from Greek (, 'soil', 'the ground')
*Ped, a unit of soil
**Pedon, the smallest unit of soil that exemplifies its character
*Pedalfer, a type of soil containing aluminum and iron oxides
*Pedion, a single-faced crystal; also (capitalized) a brand name of tablet computer; both via analogy with a flat plain or field
*Pedocal, a subdivision of the zonal soil order
*Pedodiversity, variation in soil properties
*Pedogenesis, the process by which soil is formed
*Pedology, scientific study of soils
*Pedometrics, the study of soil formation
**Pedometric mapping, creation of maps based on soil properties
*Pedosphere, the outermost layer of the Earth, composed of soil
*Pedotope, total soil component of the abiotic matrix present in an ecotope
*Pedotransfer function, predictive functions of certain soil properties from more easily measured properties
The derived Greek word and (, 'field or plain')
Relating to flatulence
Another meaning, relating to flatulence, is from Latin (infinitive , 'to fart'). It does not appear in English except in loan words but is the root for words referring to flatulation in several Western languages, often in modified form such as pet-
* Petard, an obsolete type of bomb used for breaching walls and gates
* Spanish and many other words in Romance languages that more literally pertain to passing gas
Other uses
It may also be used at the end of a word, as with encyclopedia (encyclopaedia), and orthopedics (orthopaedics).
Some common English words with this derivation include:
*Pedagogy, the study of teaching and approaches to it; the theory and practice of education.

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