tandem

English

Etymology

From Latin tandem (“(of time) at length, at last”). In English, applied humorously (by someone who knew Latin) to two horses harnessed "at length" (i.e., in a single line) instead of side-by-side.

Pronunciation

• (UK, General Australian)IPA^(key): /ˈtæn.dəm/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈtæn.dəm/,

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ændəm

Noun

tandem (plural tandems)

1. A carriage pulled by two or more draught animals (generally draught horses) harnessed one behind the other, both providing the pulling power but only the animal in front able to steer.
   • 1850-50, William Makepeace Thackeray, Pendennis, ch 3:

     Mr. Foker was no more like a gentleman now than in his school days: and yet Pen felt a secret pride in strutting down High Street with a young fellow who owned tandems, talked to officers, and ordered turtle and champagne for dinner.

2. (transferred sense) A bicycle or tricycle in which two people sit one behind the other, both able to pedal but only the person in front able to steer.
3. (figurative) A group of two or more people, machines etc. working together; close collaboration.
4. (education) A method of language learning based on mutual exchange, where ideally each learner is a native speaker in the language the other person wants to learn.
   • 2007, Jane Woodin, “Intercultural positioning: tandem conversations about word meaning”, in Regina Weinert, editor, Spoken Language Pragmatics, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN:

     Spanish and English tandem learners discuss the meaning of a given word in a semi-structured conversation.

5. (medicine) a hollow metal tube containing radioactive material, inserted through the vagina into the uterus for treatment of gynecological cancer.
   • 2007, Phillip M. Devlin, editor, Brachytherapy: Applications and Techniques, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, page 236:

     This sagittal ultrasound shows the bright signal of the tandem in a good position in the uterus.

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Assamese: টমটম (tomtom)
• → Bengali: টমটম (ṭomoṭom)
• → Catalan: tàndem
• → Czech: tandem
• → Danish: tandem
• → Dutch: tandem
• → Finnish: tandem
• → French: tandem
• → German: Tandem
• → Greek: τάντεμ (tántem)
• → Hungarian: tandem
• → Italian: tandem
• → Polish: tandem
• → Portuguese: tandem
• → Russian: танде́м (tandɛ́m)
• → Serbo-Croatian: та̀нде̄м / tàndēm
• → Spanish: tándem

Translations

Adverb

tandem (not comparable)

1. One behind the other.

   to ride tandem on a bicycle-built-for-two

   The horses were harnessed tandem.

Synonyms

• in tandem

Translations

Adjective

tandem (not comparable)

1. Together; working as one.

   Their skillful tandem work made the project quick and successful.

Derived terms

• randem

Translations

Further reading

• tandem on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Czech

Czech Wikipedia has an article on:

tandem

Wikipedia ^cs

Etymology

Borrowed from German Tandem, from English tandem, originally from Latin tandem (“at last”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

tandem m inan

1. tandem

Declension

References

Dutch

Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:

Tandem

Wikipedia ^nl

Etymology

Borrowed from English tandem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɑn.dɛm/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

tandem m (plural tandems, diminutive tandempje n)

1. tandem (vehicle, bicycle)
2. tandem (arrangement)
3. (biology) A phase in the mating ritual of dragonflies.
4. A pair, a couple, a duo.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English tandem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɑ̃.dɛm/

Noun

tandem m (plural tandems)

1. tandem (vehicle, bicycle)

Further reading

• “tandem”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Anagrams

• dament

Ido

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin tandem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtandɛm/

Adverb

tandem

1. (neologism) finally, at last, eventually

   Synonym: fine

Italian

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English tandem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtan.dem/
• Rhymes: -andem
• Hyphenation: tàn‧dem

Noun

tandem m (invariable)

1. tandem (all senses)

References

Latin

Etymology

From tam (“so”) +‎ -dem (“new interpreted particle from īdem”). Compare with its earlier doublet: tamen. Both with original meaning supposedly "so(much)ever".

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈtan.dem/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈtan.dem/,

Adverb

tandem (not comparable)

1. at length, at last, finally, eventually
   • 29 BCE – 19 BCE, Virgil, Aeneid 4.304:

     Tandem hīs Aenēān compellat vōcibus ultrō: .

     At last – of her own accord – confronts Aeneas, to say to him: .

2. used also as an adverbial intensifier of interrogatives to a somewhat greater degree than -nam

Usage notes

• The particle -nam and adverb tandem (“finally”) may be added to interrogative pronouns and adverbs to add emphasis. The adverb tandem adds stronger emphasis.

Synonyms

• demum, postremo

Related terms

Descendants

• Sicilian: tannu

References

• “tandem”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “tandem”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• tandem in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Sihler, Andrew L. (1995) New Comparative Grammar of Greek and Latin, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: tan‧dem

Noun

tandem m (plural tandens)

1. tandem (bicycle with two seats and two sets of pedals)

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French tandem.

Noun

tandem n (plural tandemuri)

1. tandem

Declension

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtanden/
• Rhymes: -anden

Noun

tandem m (plural tandems)

1. tandem
2. language exchange