Bike
/baɪk/noun
A bicycle or motorcycle, especially an informal term for either vehicle.
Did you know?The bicycle’s ancestor, the Greek kyklos meaning “wheel” or “circle,” also helped produce words such as cycle, circle, and wheel through ancient Indo-European sound changes.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kwel-
“To turn, revolve, or move around”
Ancient Greek
Greek
kyklos
“A circle, wheel, or circular movement”
Late Latin
Latin
cyclus
“A circle or cycle”
19th Century
English
bicycle
“A vehicle propelled by two wheels; formed from bi- “two” and cycle”
1880s
English
bike
“Informal shortened form of bicycle, later also used for motorcycle”