Forms: 1 tredel; 5 tredel, -yl, -ylle, 6–9 treddle, (8 -el), 7 tredle, (treedle), 8–9 treadel, 6– treadle; β. 7 trydle, triddle (also 9 dial.); γ. 7 tradle, 9 dial. traddle. [f. TREAD v. + -LE 1.]
† 1. A step or stair. Obs. rare–0.
a. 1000. Ælfric’s Voc., in Wr-Wülcker, 117/6. Bases, tredelas, uel stæpas.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 501/1. Tredyl, or [v.r. of] grece, gradus, pedalis. Ibid. (c. 1490), 209/1 (MSS. K & H.). Grece, or tredyl, P. or steyre, gradus.
1847–78. Halliwell, Treddle, the step of a stair, etc.
2. A lever worked by the foot in machines and mechanical contrivances, usually to produce reciprocating (as orig. in the loom) or rotary motion.
14[?]. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 592/33. Liciatorium, a tredel. Ibid., 614/14. Subpedium, a tredel.
1483. Cath. Angl., 392/1. A Tredylle of ye lummys, suppodium.
1573–80. Baret, Alv., T 347. The Treadle of a weauers loome, insile.
1608. Topsell, Serpents (1658), 785. Consider the strange trydles of their Looms.
1667. in Pettus, Fodinæ Reg. (1670), 35. Large Smelting Bellows with Beams, Frames, Swords, Triddles.
1680. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., x. 183. Of the Treddle and Cross-Treddle.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, III. xxi. (Roxb.), 252/1. By the riseing and falling of the Tradles, these play vp and down.
1806. W. Taylor, in Ann. Rev., IV. 772. Until the method of lifting it by treadels, or foot-staves.
1831. G. R. Porter, Silk Manuf., 215. Treadles on which the weaver presses his feet alternately.
Mod. A sewing-machine worked by treadles.
b. A pedal of a bicycle or the like.
1887. Miss E. P. Thompson, in Monthly Packet, Jan., 88. My feet are unapt to move without the treadles under them.
1895. H. C. Beeching, Poems, Going down hill on a bicycle, v. When the wheels scarce crawl, My feet to the treadles fall.
c. On a railway: see quot.
1904. Westm. Gaz., 15 Nov., 10/1. There is an electric treadle just outside Shepherd’s Bush Station which is operated by a brush fixed to the rear car of the train; and this operates on the block signal.
3. = TREAD sb. 9 b. Now dial.
1658. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., III. xxviii. (ed. 4), 225. The Grando or tredle are but the poles and establishing particles of the tender membrans.
1713. Derham, Phys.-Theol., VII. iv. 391. At each end of the Egg is a Treddle, so called, because it was formerly thought to be the Sperm of the Cock.
1747. Mrs. Glasse, Cookery, vii. 70. The Treadels of the Eggs.
1794. G. Adams, Nat. & Exp. Philos., I. v. 180. The chicken contained in embryo, in … the treadle of the egg.
† b. See quots. (Cf. TREAD v. 8, sb. 9.) Obs.
1638. Ford, Fancies, III. iii. Whore, bitch-fox, treedle, fa la la la!
[1847–78. Halliwell, Treddle, a whore.]
4. attrib. and Comb., as treadle-board, -cord, -crank, -lever, -wire; worked by a treadle or treadles, as treadle-brake, -grindstone, loom, -machine, -wheel; also treadle-shaking adj.
1881. Young, Every Man his own Mechanic, § 550. Fastened to this shaft is the *treadle-board.
1903. Westm. Gaz., 20 Oct., 10/1. By slow degrees, we got the present serviceable *treadle brake that acts on the whole ’bus.
1766. Compl. Farmer, s.v. Flax, The sword or upright timber-rod which turns the wheel by the *treadle-crank.
1902. Marshall, Metal Tools, 72. For larger tools … a *treadle grindstone … will be found more convenient.
1839. Ure, Dict. Arts, 269. A platform, which is raised up by a *treddle lever.
1882. Floyer, Unexpl. Balūchistan, 45. The manufacturers sit in holes in their gardens before their rather clumsy *treadle-looms.
1893. A. S. Eccles, Sciatica, 7. Working a *treadle sewing-machine for some hours.
1812. W. Tennant, Anster F., II. xxvi. Their *treadle-shaking feet now scour apace Through Gallow town.
1680. Moxon, Mech. Exerc., x. 188. The *Treddle Wheel is used for small work only.
1880. Carnegie, Pract. Trap., vi. 41. The *treadle wire itself may be flattened.
