Bicycle Means Two Circles
A bike is a two-wheeled pedal vehicle. Its full name combines Latin and Greek in a way purists once objected to.
A bike is a bicycle or motorcycle. *Bicycle* is a hybrid word: Latin *bi-*, two, plus Greek *kyklos*, a circle or wheel. Nineteenth-century purists disliked mixing the languages, as they did with *television* and *automobile*, but the objection never had any effect. Earlier names competed and lost — the *velocipede*, the *dandy horse*, the *boneshaker* and the *penny-farthing*, that last named for the size difference between a penny and a farthing coin.
- A two-wheeled vehicle. *Ride a bike.*
- Bicycle — the full word. *A bicycle.*
- Penny-farthing — an early design. *A penny-farthing.*
- Velocipede — an earlier name. *A velocipede.*
- Greek — *kyklos*, a wheel. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | bike | A bike. |
| Plural | bikes | Bikes. |
| Verb | bike | Bike to work. |
| Full form | bicycle | A bicycle. |
| Agent | cyclist | A cyclist. |
- She rode her bike to school.Transport.
- Bicycle means two circles.Etymology.
- The penny-farthing had unequal wheels.History.
Names the bicycle has had
- Dandy horse — the 1817 running machine with no pedals
- Boneshaker — the 1860s iron-tyred version
- Penny-farthing — named for two coins of very different size
- Safety bicycle — the 1885 design still used today
- Velocipede — swift foot, a formal name that did not stick
Short for *bicycle*, from French *bicycle*, from Latin *bi-*, two, plus Greek *kyklos*, a circle.
Why is it called a penny-farthing?
Because the large front wheel and tiny rear wheel resembled a penny placed beside a farthing, two coins of very different size.
Is bicycle a hybrid word?
Yes. It mixes Latin bi- with Greek kyklos, which nineteenth-century purists disliked but could not prevent.