Question

If the root word attach means “to cause something to hold on to another,” what does the word detach mean in the following sentence? Andre’s bicycle has pedal straps that detach if he falls, so that he will not break his ankle. fasten underneath increase speed separate from attach to
detach is in bold

Answer 1

The prefix "de-" means to deduct, or remove from. So, de- + attach, would mean to remove something from holding on to another thing. Apply that to the situation, and the pedal straps "detach", meaning they stop holding on to his ankle. Petal straps connect Andre's foot to his pedals, but when he falls, they disconnect, and the strap no longer holds his foot to the petal. Basically the word detach means to release hold of his foot, so the petals no longer hold his foot to his bike.

Answer 2

The answer to your question would be that in the sentence above the word "detach" means the following: separate from.

"Detach" means "to disengage (something or part of something) and remove it. It also means "leave or separate oneself from".  The fact is that pedal straps increase the efficiency of your pedalling by allowing you to pull you up as well as down.  They hold your feet tightly. Therefore, if you fall, it is necessary for them to detach themselves to avoid any fracture. Taking all this into account, it can be said that, in this case, "detach" means "separate from" because that is what the pedals do when the person falls.