bike

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• /baɪk/
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• Canada: /bɐɪk/
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• Australian: /bɑɪ̯k/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -aɪk
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• CMU ARPABET: B AY1 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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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⟩.

From Middle English bike, byke (“a nest of wild bees or wasps; also, honeycomb”), of unknown origin. Perhaps a back-formation of Middle English *bykere (“beekeeper”), from Old English bēocere (“beekeeper”); or from Old English *bȳc, a byform of Old English būc (“belly; vessel; container”). Compare also Scots byke (“beehive, anthill; home, dwelling”), Old Norse bý (“bee”).

176 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Armenian: հեծանիվ (hecaniv) — bicycle
• Armenian: հեծո (heco) — bicycle
• Basque: bizikleta — bicycle
• Bengali: ঠেংগাড়ী (ṭheṅgaṛi) — bicycle
• Catalan: bici — bicycle
• Cornish: diwros — bicycle
• Czech: kolo — bicycle
• Danish: cykel — bicycle
• Dutch: fiets — bicycle
• Dutch: velo — bicycle
• Estonian: jalgratas — bicycle
• Farefare: kut-weefo — bicycle
• Farefare: kutuyeho — bicycle
• Faroese: hjól — bicycle
• Finnish: pyörä — bicycle
• Finnish: fillari — bicycle
• Finnish: polkupyörä — bicycle
• French: vélo — bicycle
• West-Frisian: fyts — bicycle
• Galician: bici — bicycle
• Georgian: ველოსიპედი (velosiṗedi) — bicycle
• German: Fahrrad — bicycle
• German: Rad — bicycle
• German: Velo — bicycle
• German: Drahtesel — bicycle
• German: Velo — bicycle
• Greek: ποδήλατο (podílato) — bicycle
• Hungarian: bicaj — bicycle
• Hungarian: bicó — bicycle
• Hungarian: bringa — bicycle
• Hungarian: bicikli — bicycle
• Icelandic: reiðhjól — bicycle
• Indonesian: sepeda — bicycle
• Italian: bici — bicycle
• Italian: bicicletta — bicycle
• Japanese: 自転車 (jitensha) — bicycle
• Japanese: チャリンコ (charinko) — bicycle
• Japanese: チャリ (chari) — bicycle
• Japanese: ケッタ (ketta) — bicycle
• Khmer: កង់ (kɑng) — bicycle
• Khmer: រទេះកង់ (rɔɔrɔteh kɑng) — bicycle
• K'iche': b'isiklet — bicycle
• Korean: 자전거 (jajeon'geo) — bicycle
• Kyrgyz: чалынгыч (calıngıc) — bicycle
• Lao: ລົດຖີບ (lot thīp) — bicycle
• Lithuanian: dviratis — bicycle
• Luxembourgish: Vëlo — bicycle
• Marshallese: baajkōļ — bicycle
• Moore: kut weefo — bicycle
• Moore: kut-weefo — bicycle
• Norwegian: sykkel — bicycle
• Odia: ସାଇକେଲ (sāikela) — bicycle
• Persian: دوچرخه (dočarxe) — bicycle
• Polish: rower — bicycle
• Portuguese: bici — bicycle
• Portuguese: bicicleta — bicycle
• Portuguese: bicla — bicycle
• Romanian: bicicletă — bicycle
• Russian: велосипе́д (velosipéd) — bicycle
• Russian: ве́лик (vélik) — bicycle
• Scottish Gaelic: baic — bicycle
• Scottish Gaelic: bàic — bicycle
• Serbo-Croatian: bicikl — bicycle
• Sindhi: سائيڪل (sāekl) — bicycle
• Slovak: bicykel — bicycle
• Slovene: kolo — bicycle
• Spanish: bici — bicycle
• Swedish: cykel — bicycle
• Tagalog: bisikleta — bicycle
• Tamil: சைக்கிள் (caikkiḷ) — bicycle
• Thai: จักรยาน (jàk-grà-yaan) — bicycle
• Turkish: bisiklet — bicycle
• Turkish: derrace — bicycle
• Turkish: çalınga — bicycle
• Turkish: velespit — bicycle
• Ukrainian: велосипед (velosyped) — bicycle
• Vietnamese: xe đạp — bicycle
• Volapük: saikul — bicycle
• Welsh: beic — bicycle
• Yiddish: ביציקל (bitsikl) — bicycle
• Yiddish: ראָווער (rover) — bicycle
• Yiddish: וועלאָסיפּעד (velosiped) — bicycle
• Yiddish: ביציקלעט (bitsiklet) — bicycle
• Armenian: մոտոցիկլետ (motocʻiklet) — motorcycle
• Armenian: մոտո (moto) — motorcycle
• Catalan: moto — motorcycle
• Chinese: мотуәчә (motuəčə) — motorcycle
• Czech: motorka — motorcycle
• Danish: motorcykel — motorcycle
• Dutch: motorfiets — motorcycle
• Dutch: brommer — motorcycle
• Estonian: mootorratas — motorcycle
• Finnish: prätkä — motorcycle
• Finnish: fillari — motorcycle
• Finnish: moottoripyörä — motorcycle
• French: moto — motorcycle
• Galician: moto — motorcycle
• Georgian: მოტოციკლეტი (moṭociḳleṭi) — motorcycle
• German: Motorrad — motorcycle
• German: Moped — motorcycle
• Greek: μοτοσυκλέτα (motosykléta) — motorcycle
• Greek: μηχανή (michaní) — motorcycle
• Greek: μηχανάκι (michanáki) — motorcycle
• Hungarian: motor — motorcycle
• Hungarian: motorkerékpár — motorcycle
• Hungarian: moci — motorcycle
• Indonesian: sepeda motor — motorcycle
• Italian: moto — motorcycle
• Japanese: バイク (baiku) — motorcycle
• Khmer: ម៉ូតូ (moutou) — motorcycle
• K'iche': keja ch'ich' — motorcycle
• K'iche': kej ch'ich' — motorcycle
• Lao: ລົດຈັກ (lot chak) — motorcycle
• Lao: ຣົຖຈັກ (rot chak) — motorcycle
• Malagasy: môtô — motorcycle
• Marshallese: wōtbai — motorcycle
• Norwegian: motorsykkel — motorcycle
• Odia: ମଟର ସାଇକେଲ (maṭara sāikela) — motorcycle
• Polish: motocykl — motorcycle
• Polish: motor — motorcycle
• Portuguese: mota — motorcycle
• Portuguese: moto — motorcycle
• Punjabi: ਮੋਟਰਸਾਈਕਲ (moṭrasāīkal) — motorcycle
• Punjabi: ਬਾਈਕ (bāīka) — motorcycle
• Punjabi: ਮੋਟਰਬਾਈਕ (moṭrabāīka) — motorcycle
• Russian: мотоци́кл (motocíkl) — motorcycle
• Scottish Gaelic: bàic — motorcycle
• Sindhi: موٽر سائيڪل (moṭr sāekl) — motorcycle
• Sinhalese: යතුරුපැදිය (yaturupædiya) — motorcycle
• Slovak: motorka — motorcycle
• Slovene: motorno kolo — motorcycle
• Spanish: moto — motorcycle
• Swedish: mc — motorcycle
• Swedish: MC — motorcycle
• Swedish: motorcykel — motorcycle
• Swedish: båge — motorcycle
• Tamil: பைக் (paik) — motorcycle
• Thai: มอเตอร์ไซค์ (mɔɔ-dtəə-sai) — motorcycle
• Vietnamese: xe máy — motorcycle
• Vietnamese: xe gắn máy — motorcycle
• Volapük: motorasaikul — motorcycle
• Welsh: beic modur — motorcycle
• Finnish: hutsu — promiscuous woman
• French: pute — promiscuous woman
• French: traînée — promiscuous woman
• Italian: puttana — promiscuous woman
• K'iche': joxol ixoq — promiscuous woman
• Polish: latawica — promiscuous woman
• Portuguese: puta — promiscuous woman
• Portuguese: vaca f, cabra f) — promiscuous woman
• Slovak: cundra — promiscuous woman
• Welsh: hwren — promiscuous woman
• Dutch: fietsen — to ride a bike
• Dutch: wielrijden — to ride a bike
• Finnish: pyöräillä — to ride a bike
• French: faire du vélo — to ride a bike
• French: biker — to ride a bike
• French: pédaler — to ride a bike
• German: Rad fahren — to ride a bike
• German: radeln — to ride a bike
• Italian: pedalare — to ride a bike
• Japanese: 自転車に乗る (jitensha ni noru) — to ride a bike
• Marshallese: baajkōļ — to ride a bike
• Polish: jeździć na rowerze — to ride a bike
• Portuguese: andar de bicicleta — to ride a bike
• Portuguese: pedalar — to ride a bike
• Swedish: cykla — to ride a bike
• Vietnamese: đạp xe — to ride a bike
• Dutch: toeren — to travel by bike
• Finnish: pyöräillä — to travel by bike
• French: aller à vélo — to travel by bike
• French: pédaler — to travel by bike
• Marshallese: baajkōļ — to travel by bike
• Polish: podróżować rowerem — to travel by bike
• Portuguese: ir de bicicleta — to travel by bike
• Swedish: cykla — to travel by bike