The Word of the Day for July 6 is:
peloton \pel-uh-TAHN\ noun
: the main body of riders in a bicycle race
: the main body of riders in a bicycle race
Example sentence:
"The first major splits occur in the peloton at about the 110-mile
mark, where many riders find they can no longer keep up." (Michael
Barry, The New York Times, September 26, 2008)
"The first major splits occur in the peloton at about the 110-mile
mark, where many riders find they can no longer keep up." (Michael
Barry, The New York Times, September 26, 2008)
Did you know?
If you've ever watched the Tour de France on television, you've seen
the peloton, the brightly colored pack of riders making up the central
group. You may have also gained some inadvertent insight into the word
itself, which as you may have guessed is French in origin. In French,
"peloton" literally means "ball," but it is most often used with the
meaning "group." It's frequently used in the bicycling context, just
as in English, but it can also refer to a group in a marathon or other
sporting event. French "peloton" can also mean "squad" or "platoon,"
and since we've told you that you probably won't be too surprised to
learn that it is also the source of our word "platoon."
If you've ever watched the Tour de France on television, you've seen
the peloton, the brightly colored pack of riders making up the central
group. You may have also gained some inadvertent insight into the word
itself, which as you may have guessed is French in origin. In French,
"peloton" literally means "ball," but it is most often used with the
meaning "group." It's frequently used in the bicycling context, just
as in English, but it can also refer to a group in a marathon or other
sporting event. French "peloton" can also mean "squad" or "platoon,"
and since we've told you that you probably won't be too surprised to
learn that it is also the source of our word "platoon."