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pedestrianism

Noun
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The practice or sport of competitive walking; a historical activity occasionally featured in 19th-century observational verse.

Detailed Definition
This noun can mean the practice or sport of walking, especially in older usage. Stein uses it in an exaggerated phrase, where the word sounds oddly grand for something as ordinary as walking.
Example
Example in poetry:
Pedestrianism once named competitive long-distance walking, a popular nineteenth-century sport; “the terrific sacrifice of pedestrianism” refers to the strain of walking contests; “Under gaslight, the pedestrian circled / for six days and a purse” gives its historical setting; In modern poetry, the word can also pun on ordinary walking: “pedestrianism became his slow rebellion”
Additional Notes
The word "pedestrianism" in the quoted phrase is a specialized, old-fashioned noun rather than everyday modern vocabulary.; Found in the poem, A Light in the Moon by Gertrude Stein
Also Known As
walking ambulation foot travel perambulation
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