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Definition of pedi

pedi

/ˈpɛd.i/
ped · i
Plural:pedis
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pedi Lexical Profile

pedi Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

(informal) A pedicure; a cosmetic treatment of the feet and toenails.

Example

"She booked an appointment at the salon for a quick mani and pedi before her vacation."

2

South African (capitalized) A member of the Northern Sotho-speaking Bantu people inhabiting the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces of northeastern South Africa.

Example

"Traditional music and praise poetry remain central to the cultural heritage of the Pedi."

3

South African (capitalized) The Bantu language spoken by the Pedi people, also known as Sepedi or Northern Sotho, which is one of the official languages of South Africa.

Example

"Many schools in the Limpopo province use Pedi as the primary medium of instruction in the early grades."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for pedi

Word Nuance & Usage

When capitalized as 'Pedi', it refers to the Northern Sotho ethnic group of South Africa or their Bantu language (Sepedi). In lowercase informal usage, it is a clipping of 'pedicure', frequently paired with 'mani' in the compound 'mani-pedi'.

• Rhymes for pedi

• Nearby Words

pedestal
pedestrian
pedestrianize
pedi
pediatric
pediatrician
pediatrics

Word Origin & Etymology

In informal cosmetic usage, a late 20th-century clipping of 'pedicure' (from French pédicure, derived from Latin pes, pedis meaning 'foot' and cura meaning 'care'). As an ethnolinguistic proper noun, borrowed from Northern Sotho 'Bapedi'.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Pedi. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/pedi
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