Pedo-

Ped- (sometimes spelled paed-, pæd-, or rarely paid-, depending on the word and the language or dialect) is a prefix in English and many other Western languages, often with divergent spellings, such as pet-, pie-, pei-, etc.). It conveys multiple meanings, from different Latin and Ancient Greek root words:

1. Primarily, 'relating to children', from Greek pais (παῖς), meaning 'child', which derived from the Proto-Indo-European stem *peu-, meaning 'small', 'young', or 'few'. It is usually spelled ped- in North American English (as in pediatrics and pedophilia), and pronounced /pɛd/ or /piːd/ 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 /piːd/. Rarely in English, words from this root may take a paid- prefix (e.g. paidology), or take only a ped- not paed- spelling (pedagogy).
2. 'Relating to feet', in words (e.g. pedestrian, pedicure) derived from Latin pes or pedis, 'foot', from the Proto-Indo-European stem *ped- with the same meaning. Romance languages' words from this Latin root often take pie- spellings, as in medieval French and Italian piedmont 'foothill' (modern French piémont, Occitan piemont, Italian piemonte or pedemontano), and Spanish pie, pies '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 suffix -pus may also be used (as in octopus).
3. 'Relating to soil', from the Ancient Greek word for 'soil, the ground', pédon or pēdón (πέδον, πηδόν), and 'a plain or field' pedíon (πεδίον)
4. 'Relating to flatulence', from Latin pēdō (infinitive pēdere, '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 pétard for the same thing (originally literally meaning 'fart', it remains an uncommon Modern French word for 'firecracker').

Relating to children

Further information: Ped-

Research, medicine, and teaching

• Pedology (paedology, also rarely paidology), scientific study of children's behavior and development
• Pediatrics (paediatrics), the branch of medicine devoted to the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents
• Pedagogy, the study of teaching and approaches to it; the theory and practice of education.

Human sexuality

• Pedophilia (paedophilia), a paraphilia involving sexual attraction to pre-pubescent children
  • "Pedo" or "paedo", slang for "p[a]edophile", and often used incorrectly (e.g. to refer to adults attracted to post-pubescent youths).
  • Pedophile Group, a Danish organization active from 1985 to 2004
  • Pedophile press (paeophile press), published materials created for a pedophilic audience
  • Pedobear, an Internet meme
• Pederasty (paederasty), a relationship between an older man and an adolescent boy

Relating to feet

• Pedestal
• Pedestrian
• Pedicab
• Pedicure
• Pedometer

Relating to soil or plains

• 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

Relating to flatulence

• Petard, a type of (now-obsolete) bomb used for breaching walls and gates
• Spanish pedo and many other words in Romance languages that more literally pertain to passing gas.

See also

• Albinovanus Pedo, Roman poet of the Augustan age
• Peda
• Pedi (disambiguation)
• Pedoe
• Pedot