Pedestrian
/pəˈdɛs.tɹi.ən/noun
A person who is walking, especially on a street or sidewalk; also, lacking excitement or originality.
Did you know?Pedestrian comes from Latin pedester, meaning “on foot,” ultimately from pes, pedis, “foot,” a root that also powers words like pedal, pedestrian, and impede.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*pṓds
“foot”
Latin
Latin
pes, pedis
“foot”
Latin
Latin
pedester
“on foot; walking”
Late Latin
Latin
pedestris
“on foot; unmounted; plain, ordinary”
Old French
Old French
pedestre
“on foot”
16th Century
English
pedestrial
“on foot; walking”
17th Century
English
pedestrian
“a person on foot; later, ordinary or dull”