English Explanatory Dictionary

bike

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. Clipping of bicycle.
  2. Clipping of motorbike.
  3. Any vehicle sharing some characteristics with a bicycle or motorbike, such as pedal power, a handlebar, or a saddle.
  4. Ellipsis of village bike.
verb
  1. To ride a bike.
  2. To travel by bike.
  3. To transport by bicycle.
noun
  1. A hive of bees, or a nest of wasps, hornets, or ants.
  2. A crowd of people.

Pronunciation

/baɪk/ /bɐɪk/ /bɑɪ̯k/ en-us-bike.ogg

Word forms

bike bikes biking biked byke

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwís Proto-Italic *dwis Old Latin duis Latin bisder. French bi- Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- Proto-Indo-European *kʷékʷlos Ancient Greek κῠ́κλος (kŭ́klos)der. Late Latin cyclusder. Middle French French cycle French bicyclebor. English bicycleclip. English bike Clipping of bicycle. First attested in 1882. One explanation for the form with /k/ is that bicycle was parsed to bi(cy)c(le). An alternative explanation is that it was parsed to bic(ycle) but since speakers are aware of a general /k/~/s/ alternation (as in electric ~ electricity etc.), the softened /s/ was restored to a default /k/ when the “ending” -ycle was dropped. Similar cases are merc /mɜɹk/, spec /spɛk/ for mercenary, specify. It seems unlikely, however, that this process is purely phonological and not at least partially based on the spelling ⟨c⟩.

Synonyms

slapper slag

Related words

trike

Derived words

antibike aquabike aqua bike balance bike bar bike beer bike bikable bike-and-ride bikeathon bike box bike cab bike chain bikefishing bike jockey strap bike lane bikelash bike-lash bikeless bike lift bikelike bike lock bikelock bikemaker bike motocross bikepacker bikepacking bike path bikeporn bike pump biker bike rack bike ride bikeroad bikery bikeshare bike shed bikeshed bike-shedding bike stand bike staple bike station biketard bike taxi bike throw bikeway bikewear bikie bikey BMX bike Boris bike box bike Christ on a bike conference bike dirtbike e-bike exercise bike ghost bike gravel bike handbike hand bike
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