peloton

See also: Peloton and pelotón

English

The peloton at the start of a cycle race.

Etymology

From French peloton (“pellet, platoon”).

Noun

peloton (plural pelotons)

1. (military) A platoon.
   • 1840, Colonel R. W. H. Howard Vyse, Some Account of the Composition and Force of the Egyptian Army, in The United Service Journal and Naval and Military Magazine, 1840, Part III, The United Service Journal, page 307,

     A regiment of cavalry consists of six squadrons, each squadron of four pelotons, each peloton of two companies, each company of two escouardes, and each escouarde of two men.

   • 1864, Richard Francis Burton, Mission to Gelele, King of Dahome, Chapter III,

     Then the chief of each peloton came forward, snapped fingers with us as we sat on our chairs under the tree, our guards ranged on the right, a mob of gazers women scratching and boys pulling on the left, and an open space in front.

   • 2002, Hannes Heer, Heer Naumann, Klaus Naumann, War of Extermination: The German Military in World War II, page 232,

     In Bauske, on 2 July, the local commandant had twenty hostages publicly shot at the Memel bridge by a peloton supplied by the local headquarters, allegedly in "reprisal" for the German soldiers who had fallen in the battles for the town.

2. (cycling) The main group of riders formed during a cycling road race.
   • 2012, July 15. Richard Williams in Guardian Unlimited, Tour de France 2012: Carpet tacks cannot force Bradley Wiggins off track

     The summit of the climb came 38km from the end of stage 14, which began in Limoux and ended in Foix in the foothills of the Pyrenees, and the incident occurred as the peloton emerged into the light and passed under the banner at the top, a quarter of an hour behind a five-man breakaway.

Translations

main group of riders in a cycling race

• Basque: tropel, pelotoi
• Czech: peloton (cs) m
• Dutch: peloton (nl) n
• Finnish: pääjoukko
• French: peloton (fr) m
• German: Peloton (de) n

• Italian: gruppo (it) m
• Polish: peleton (pl) m
• Portuguese: pelotão (pt) m
• Russian: пелото́н (ru) m (pelotón)
• Spanish: pelotón (es) m
• Swedish: cykelklunga c, klunga (sv) c

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Czech

Noun

peloton m

1. peloton

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

peloton n (plural pelotons, diminutive pelotonnetje n)

1. platoon
2. (cycling) peloton

Derived terms

• vuurpeloton

Anagrams

• ontlope

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Esperanto

Noun

peloton

1. accusative singular future nominal passive participle of peli

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Finnish

Etymology

pelko +‎ -ton

Adjective

peloton (comparative pelottomampi, superlative pelottomin)

1. fearless, daring

Declension

Inflection of peloton (Kotus type 34/onneton, tt-t gradation)
nominative		peloton	pelottomat
genitive		pelottoman	pelottomien
partitive		pelotonta	pelottomia
illative		pelottomaan	pelottomiin
		singular	plural
nominative		peloton	pelottomat
accusative	nom.	peloton	pelottomat
	gen.	pelottoman
genitive		pelottoman	pelottomien pelotontenrare
partitive		pelotonta	pelottomia
inessive		pelottomassa	pelottomissa
elative		pelottomasta	pelottomista
illative		pelottomaan	pelottomiin
adessive		pelottomalla	pelottomilla
ablative		pelottomalta	pelottomilta
allative		pelottomalle	pelottomille
essive		pelottomana	pelottomina
translative		pelottomaksi	pelottomiksi
instructive		—	pelottomin
abessive		pelottomatta	pelottomitta
comitative		—	pelottomine

Derived terms

• pelottomasti
• pelottomuus

Related terms

• pelko
• pelokas
• pelätä

Anagrams

• peltoon

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French

Etymology

From pelote +‎ -on.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pə.lɔ.tɔ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

peloton m (plural pelotons)

1. small ball (of thread etc.)
2. (military) platoon
3. pack, bunch (of cyclists etc.)

Derived terms

• peloton d'exécution
• pelotonner, pelotonnement
• pelotonneur

Further reading

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