▪ I. moped, ppl. a.
(məʊpt)
[f. mope v. + -ed1.]
† a. Stupefied, bewildered (obs.). b. Affected with ennui, dejected, melancholy, low-spirited.
| 1606 Sir G. Goosecappe i. i. in Bullen O. Pl. III. 8 Out, ye mopede monckies, can yee not knowe a man from a Marmasett, in theis Frenchified dayes of ours? a 1625 Fletcher Hum. Lieutenant iv. vi, He is bewitch'd or moop'd or his braines melted. 1692 Locke Educ. §51 Severity..often..breaking the Mind; and then in the Place of a disorderly young Fellow, you haue a low-spirited moap'd Creature. 1713 Swift Frenzy J. Dennis Wks. 1755 III. i. 140 Her master never read in them, but he was either quite moped, or in raving fits. 1866 Mrs. Gaskell Wives & Dau. xlviii, I've got quite moped and dismal. 1887 R. N. Carey Uncle Max i, I was moped, hipped, with all that dreary hospital work. |
▪ II. moped, n.
(ˈməʊpɛd)
[Sw. (1952), f. tramp-cykel med motor och pedaler, pedal cycle with engine and pedals; cf. also Ger. moped.]
A motorized pedal cycle. Also attrib.
| 1956 I. Dunlop Going to Britain (ed. 2) 21 You must have a license to drive an autocycle (‘moped’). 1957 Times 19 Nov. 11/3 The accompanying recommendation that the minimum age limit for riding mopeds should be reduced from sixteen to fifteen will be less readily accepted. 1960 F. Farr Mo-Peds & Scooters i. 14 The name ‘mo-ped’ originated in Sweden, was popularized in Germany and is now generally accepted here. The machines are internationally defined..as cycles fitted with engines of under 50 cubic centimetres capacity and retaining the normal characteristics of bicycles. 1971 Guardian 4 June 22/4 Cut the minimum age for moped riders from 16 to 14. 1973 Times 18 May 21/7 As the rider of a single-seater moped, I am required by law to possess insurance against claims from mythical passengers. 1974 Guardian 25 Mar. 21/1, I bought an electric moped. It..has a range of about 20 miles. |