entry
tandem
/ˈtændəm/Two or more working together, one behind another
From Latin tam (so) + Latin dem (demonstrative suffix).
from Latin tandem (“of time: at last, at length, finally”), applied humorously in English to two horses harnessed “at...
from Latin tandem (“of time: at last, at length, finally”), applied humorously in English to two horses harnessed “at...
Word Ancestry
from Latin tandem (“of time: at last, at length, finally”), applied humorously in English to two horses harnessed “at...
from Latin tandem (“of time: at last, at length, finally”), applied humorously in English to two horses harnessed “at...
Latin tandem originally had nothing specifically to do with horses, bicycles, or teamwork: it meant “at length” or “at last,” built from tam, “so,” plus a demonstrative suffix. In eighteenth-century university life, the word was apparently applied jokingly to a carriage whose horses were arranged lengthwise rather than side by side—as if the horses had finally got into one long queue. By 1785, English speakers were using tandem for that carriage, and by 1884 it had leapt onto the two-seat bicycle, where the riders sit one behind the other. The same Latin tam may also be hiding behind taunt through Latin tantus and French tant, “so much,” in the sarcastic idea of “so much for so much.” So when two people work in tandem, they are carrying forward an old joke about things stretched out in a line—Latin grammar turned into a horse-drawn visual pun.
The Story
Latin tandem originally had nothing specifically to do with horses, bicycles, or teamwork: it meant “at length” or “at last,” built from tam, “so,” plus a demonstrative suffix. In eighteenth-century university life, the word was apparently applied jokingly to a carriage whose horses were arranged lengthwise rather than side by side—as if the horses had finally got into one long queue. By 1785, English speakers were using tandem for that carriage, and by 1884 it had leapt onto the two-seat bicycle, where the riders sit one behind the other. The same Latin tam may also be hiding behind taunt through Latin tantus and French tant, “so much,” in the sarcastic idea of “so much for so much.” So when two people work in tandem, they are carrying forward an old joke about things stretched out in a line—Latin grammar turned into a horse-drawn visual pun.
Modern Usage
In Philippine usage, a favored romantic pair or couple; Urban Dictionary also records a vulgar sexual sense.
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary entries for romantic chemistry and a vulgar sexual usage
Kin & Kindred
From 'tam'·so; to such an extent
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'dem'·demonstrative suffix
Sources
Etymonline
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia