Dictionary

derailer en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /dəˈɹeɪləɹ/ (General-American)
• /dɪˈɹeɪlə/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From derail + -er. Sense 2 is an Anglicization of French dérailleur. Doublet of derailleur.

Meanings

1. One who, or that which, derails.
2. One who, or that which, derails. ▸ Synonym of derail: A device placed on railway tracks in order to cause a train to derail.
3. (alt-of, alternative, uncommon) Alternative spelling of derailleur.
   alt of derailleur
   • Through sheer ingenuity and resourcefulness, these men handproduced parts such as derailers, stands, seat posts, cranks, fenders, and all manner of elements used in the production of a functional bicycle. 2009, Christine Elliott, David Jablonka, “Cycles Alex Singer”, in Custom Bicycles: A Passionate Pursuit, Images Publishing, →ISBN, page 72, column 2:
   • Very few bicycles are of a different color or employ more gears with derailer sprockets and hand brakes. […] In short, most adult commuter bicycles are almost interchangeable; and therein likes the tale. […] At first glance, one wonders how commuters can identify their own machine from the pack of identical black bicycles, particularly if they are in the center of the pack. The answer is, they don't! They simply grab one that is convenient, ride it home, and then return it to the pack the next day. 2009, Louis G. Perez, “Society in the Twenty-first Century”, in Frank W. Thackeray, John E. Findling, editors, The History of Japan (The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations), 2nd edition, Westport, Conn.; London: Greenwood Press, →ISBN, →ISSN, page 202:
   • Inside, two bearded men are working on a busted fuel pump, and another is repairing a bicycle derailer. 2016, Erik Reece, Utopia Drive: A Road Trip Through America’s Most Radical Idea, New York, N.Y.: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN, page 170:
   • Recent American attempts to further Anglicize the word to “derailer” have met with little success. In any case, no rails are involved. [2016, Tony Hadland, Hans-Erhard Lessing, Bicycle Design: An Illustrated History, MIT Press, →ISBN, page 246:

Forms

Synonyms

derail