tandem
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈtændəm/
ipa: /ˈtændəm/
ipa: [ˈtɛəndəm]
rhymes: -ændəm
Forms: form: tandems
form: tandeming
form: tandemed
form: tandemed
Etymology: PIE word
 *téh₂m
The noun is borrowed from Latin tandem (“of time: at last, at length, finally”), applied humorously in English to two horses harnessed “at length” (that is, in a single line) instead of side-by-side. Tandem is derived from tam (“so, to such an extent”) + -dem (demonstrative suffix).
The adjective, adverb, and verb are derived from the noun.
Senses: examples: text: [O]ur dog-cart having come to hand, from the hilliness of the road, we tandemed the ten miles due west, along the southern shore of Clew Bay.
ref: 1861, “a retired civil engineer” [pseudonym], “Westport—The Killeries”, in Ierne. Or, Anecdotes and Incidents during a Life Chiefly in Ireland. […] (First Series), London: Partridge and Co., […], →OCLC, page 208:
text: And sometimes these nymphs [on frescoes] are tandeming the daintiest little gryphons so pleasantly that one longs (in the dream) to be with them, not fearing a reverse.
ref: 1866 May 1, “Visits to the Paradise of Artists. IV. Pompeii.—The Enchanting Sights and Disenchanting Sounds of Naples.—Capri.”, in The Art-Journal, volume V (New Series), London: Virtue & Co., page 129, column 2:
text: Hendee is located at the New Marlboro', and is tandeming with his lady friends through the Newtons daily.
ref: 1886 July 9, “Pencilled Paragraphs”, in The Cycle, volume I, number 15, Boston, Mass.: Abbot Bassett, →OCLC, page 263, column 3:
text: Mr. Cadman gives a humorous description of their journey, as they tandemed the donkey to drag their impedimenta up the slope of 1,200 feet.
ref: 1898 July 16, “The Gentle Art. Harry Druidale, Fisherman, from Manxland to England. By Henry Cadman. London: Macmillan & Co. [book review]”, in [Thomas Wemyss Reid], editor, The Speaker, London: The Speaker Office, →OCLC, page 87:
text: [A]n excessively dissipative error cancellation delay line is unacceptable, since that line directly tandems the main power amplifier.
ref: 1971 November, H. Seidel, “A Microwave Feed-forward Experiment”, in The Bell System Technical Journal, volume 50, number 9, New York, N.Y.: American Telephone and Telegraph Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2892:
text: Charlotte, who I had not yet had the chance to do more than talk to, was tandeming [on a tandem bicycle] with George but each was accusing the other of not putting in their fare share of the pedalling.
ref: 1989, Andrew Scott [pseudonym; Lionel Trapes?], chapter 3, in The Oyster, volume IV, New York, N.Y.: Blue Moon Books, published 2006, →ISBN, page 80:
text: No strained informality this as Judy [Garland] tandemed provocative chatter with her guests Lena Horne and Terry-Thomas.
ref: 1990, Coyne Steven Sanders, Rainbow’s End: The Judy Garland Show, New York, N.Y.: William Morrow and Company, →ISBN, page 233:
text: Remote-office-to-remote-office communication happens by tandeming through the headquarters router. The headquarters router and port connection can become bottlenecks. Network latency increases with tandeming.
ref: 2002, Regis J. (Bud) Bates, “Frame Relay”, in Broadband Telecommunications Handbook (McGraw-Hill Telecommunications), 2nd edition, New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill, →ISBN, page 205:
glosses: Synonym of tandemize (“(transitive) to harness or drive (two draught animals, generally draught horses) one behind the other; to set up (two or more things, such as pieces or equipment) to work in tandem or together; (intransitive) to drive a tandem (‘carriage pulled by two or more draught animals (generally draught horses) harnessed one behind the other’)”)
synonyms: word: tandemize
extra: (“(transitive) to harness or drive (two draught animals, generally draught horses) one behind the other; to set up (two or more things, such as pieces or equipment) to work in tandem or together; (intransitive) to drive a tandem (‘carriage pulled by two or more draught animals (generally draught horses) harnessed one behind the other’)”)