bike

See also: biké and Bíke

English

A bike.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baɪk/
• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): [bɐɪk]

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪk

Etymology 1

From bicycle, by shortening, and possibly alteration. Attested from 1882.

One explanation for the pronunciation is that bicycle is parsed to bi(cy)c(le). An alternative explanation is that bicycle is shortened to bic(ycle), and the terminal [s] is converted to a [k] because there is an underlying underspecified [k]/[s] sound, which is softened to [s] in bicycle but retained as [k] in bike; compare the letter ‘c’ (used for [k]/[s]).

Noun

bike (plural bikes)

2. Clipping of bicycle.
4. Clipping of motorbike.
5. (slang, derogatory) Ellipsis of village bike.

   Synonyms: slapper, slag

Hyponyms

• cargo bike
• cross bike
• dirt bike
• electric bike
• fat bike, fatbike
• mountain bike
• pit bike
• pushbike
• racing bike
• road bike
• track bike
• utility bike

 

Derived terms

• antibike
• aquabike
• aqua bike
• balance bike
• bar bike
• beer bike
• bikable
• bike-and-ride
• bikeathon
• bike box
• bike cab
• bikefishing
• bike jockey strap
• bike lane
• bike-lash
• bikelash
• bikeless
• bikelike
• bikelock
• bike lock
• bikemaker
• bike motocross
• bikepacker
• bikepacking
• bike path
• bikeporn
• bike pump
• biker
• bike rack
• bike ride
• bikeroad
• bikery
• bikeshare
• bikeshed
• bike shed
• bike-shedding
• bike staple
• bike station
• biketard
• bike taxi
• bikeway
• bikewear
• bikie, bikey (Australia)
• BMX bike
• Boris bike
• box bike
• Christ on a bike
• dirtbike
• e-bike
• exercise bike
• ghost bike
• gravel bike
• hand bike
• handbike
• hoverbike
• hyperbike
• lady's bike
• like riding a bike
• litrebike
• minibike
• monkey bike
• musclebike
• off-road bike
• on yer bike
• on your bike
• outbike
• party bike
• pocket bike
• push bike
• push-bike
• quad bike
• racebike
• railbike
• rat bike
• skibike
• skybike
• snow bike
• spinning bike
• sportbike
• sport bike
• stationary bike
• superbike
• town bike
• trail bike
• village bike
• water bike
• waterbike

 

Descendants

• → Italian: bike f
• → Norman: bike f

Translations

bicycle

• Armenian: հեծանիվ (hy) (hecaniv), (colloquial) հեծո (heco)
• Basque: bizikleta (eu)
• Bengali: ঠেংগাড়ী (bn) (ṭheṅgaṛi)
• Catalan: bici (ca) f
• Cornish: diwros f
• Czech: kolo (cs) n
• Danish: cykel (da) c
• Dutch: fiets (nl) m, velo (nl) m (slang, Belgium)
• Estonian: jalgratas (et)
• Farefare: kut-weefo, kutuyeho
• Finnish: pyörä (fi), fillari (fi); polkupyörä (fi)
• French: vélo (fr) m
• Galician: bici (gl) f
• Georgian: ველოსიპედი (velosiṗedi)
• German: Fahrrad (de) n, Rad (de) n, Velo (de) n (Switzerland), Drahtesel (de) (colloquial)

  Alemannic German: Velo

• Greek: ποδήλατο (el) (podílato)
• Hungarian: bicaj (hu) (slang), bicó (slang), bringa (hu) (slang), bicikli (hu)
• Icelandic: reiðhjól (is) n
• Indonesian: sepeda (id)
• Italian: bici (it) f (slang)
• Japanese: 自転車 (ja) (じてんしゃ, jitensha), チャリンコ (ja) (charinko) (slang), チャリ (ja) (chari) (slang), ケッタ (ketta) (slang, dialectal)
• Khmer: កង់ (km) (kɑng), រទេះកង់ (rɔteh kɑng)
• Korean: 자전거 (ko) (jajeon'geo)
• Kyrgyz: чалынгыч (calıngıc)
• Lao: ລົດຖີບ (lo) (lot thīp)
• Lithuanian: dviratis m
• Luxembourgish: Vëlo (lb) m
• Moore: kut weefo, kut-weefo
• Norwegian: sykkel (no) m
• Odia: ସାଇକେଲ (sāikela)
• Persian: دوچرخه (fa) (dočarxe)
• Polish: rower (pl) m
• Portuguese: bici (pt) f, bicicleta (pt) f, bicla (pt) f
• Romanian: bicicletă (ro) f
• Russian: велосипе́д (ru) (velosipéd), (colloquial) ве́лик (ru) (vélik)
• Scottish Gaelic: baic m, bàic m
• Serbo-Croatian: bicikl (sh)
• Sindhi: سائيڪل
• Slovak: bicykel (sk) m
• Slovene: kolo (sl) n
• Spanish: bici (es) f
• Swedish: cykel (sv) c
• Tagalog: bisikleta
• Thai: จักรยาน (th) (jàk-grà-yaan)
• Turkish: bisiklet (tr), derrace (tr), çalınga, velespit (tr)
• Ukrainian: велосипед (uk) (velosyped)
• Vietnamese: xe đạp (vi)
• Volapük: saikul (vo)
• Welsh: beic (cy) m
• West Frisian: fyts (fy)
• Yiddish: ביציקל m (bitsikl), ראָווער m (rover), וועלאָסיפּעד m (velosiped), ביציקלעט m (bitsiklet)

motorcycle

• Armenian: մոտոցիկլետ (hy) (motocʻiklet), (colloquial) մոտո (hy) (moto)
• Catalan: moto (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Dungan: мотуәчә (motuəčə)

• Czech: motorka (cs) f
• Danish: motorcykel (da) c
• Dutch: motorfiets (nl), brommer (nl)
• Estonian: mootorratas
• Finnish: prätkä (fi), fillari (fi); moottoripyörä (fi)
• French: moto (fr) f
• Galician: moto (gl) f
• Georgian: მოტოციკლეტი (moṭociḳleṭi)
• German: Motorrad (de) n, Moped (de) n
• Greek: μοτοσυκλέτα (el) f (motosykléta), μηχανή (el) f (michaní), μηχανάκι (el) n (michanáki)
• Hungarian: motor (hu), motorkerékpár (hu), moci (hu) (slang)
• Indonesian: sepeda motor (id)
• Italian: moto (it) f
• Japanese: バイク (ja) (baiku)
• Khmer: ម៉ូតូ (moutou)
• Lao: ລົດຈັກ (lo) (lot chak), ຣົຖຈັກ (rot chak)
• Malagasy: môtô (mg)
• Norwegian: motorsykkel m
• Odia: ମଟର ସାଇକେଲ (maṭara sāikela)
• Polish: motocykl (pl) m
• Portuguese: mota (pt) f, moto (pt) f
• Punjabi: ਮੋਟਰਸਾਈਕਲ (moṭrasāīkal), ਬਾਈਕ (bāīka), ਮੋਟਰਬਾਈਕ (moṭrabāīka)
• Russian: мотоци́кл (ru) m (motocíkl)
• Scottish Gaelic: bàic m
• Sindhi: موٽر سائيڪل
• Sinhalese: යතුරුපැදිය (yaturupædiya)
• Slovak: motorka f
• Slovene: motorno kolo n
• Spanish: moto (es) f
• Swedish: mc (sv) c, MC (sv) c, motorcykel (sv) c, båge (sv) c (slang)
• Thai: มอเตอร์ไซค์ (th) (mɔɔ-dtəə-sai)
• Vietnamese: xe máy (vi), xe gắn máy (vi)
• Volapük: motorasaikul
• Welsh: beic modur (cy) m

promiscuous woman

• Finnish: hutsu (fi)
• French: pute (fr) f, traînée (fr) f
• Italian: puttana (it) f
• Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 自行车 (zh) (zìxíngchē)
• Portuguese: puta (pt) f; (figurative sense: vaca (pt) f, cabra (pt) f)
• Slovak: cundra (sk) f
• Welsh: hwren (cy) f

See also

• trike

Verb

bike (third-person singular simple present bikes, present participle biking, simple past and past participle biked)

1. (intransitive) To ride a bike.

   I biked so much yesterday that I'm very sore today.

2. (intransitive) To travel by bike.

   It was such a nice day I decided to bike to the store, though it's far enough I usually take my car.

3. (transitive) To transport by bicycle.

   I biked them the letters.

   • 2020 September 1, Tom Lamont, “The butcher's shop that lasted 300 years (give or take)”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Frank, a teenager, arrived at his grandfather’s shop to begin work as a butcher’s boy. The job would be to bike parcels of meat around Dronfield and the surrounding countryside between the cities of Sheffield and Chesterfield, right on the county border of Derbyshire and Yorkshire.

Descendants

• → French: biker (verb)

Translations

to ride a bike

• Dutch: fietsen (nl), wielrijden (nl)
• Finnish: pyöräillä (fi)
• French: faire du vélo (fr), biker (fr)
• German: Rad fahren (de), radeln (de) (colloquial)
• Italian: pedalare (it)
• Japanese: 自転車に乗る (jitensha ni noru)
• Portuguese: andar de bicicleta, pedalar (pt)
• Vietnamese: đạp xe

to travel by bike

• Dutch: toeren (nl)
• Finnish: pyöräillä (fi)
• Portuguese: ir de bicicleta
• Swedish: cykla (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked‌: "to bike"

• Volapük: ^{(please verify)} saikulön (vo)

Further reading

• bike on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2

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”).

Alternative forms

• byke

Noun

bike (plural bikes)

1. (Scotland, Northern England) A hive of bees, or a nest of wasps, hornets, or ants.
   • 1818 July 25, Jedadiah Cleishbotham [pseudonym; Walter Scott], Tales of My Landlord, Second Series, […] (The Heart of Mid-Lothian), volumes (please specify |volume=I to IV), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Company, →OCLC:

     like blue bottle flees in a blink of sunshine, […] A bonny bike there’s o’ them!

   • 1955, Robin Jenkins, The Cone-Gatherers, Canongate, published 2012, page 107:

     he stood for a minute talking to them about their job of gathering cones, and telling them a story about a tree he’d once climbed which had a wasp’s byke in it unbeknown to him.

2. (chiefly Scotland, by extension, collective) A crowd of people.

Anagrams

• Beki, kibe

Basque

Etymology

From Latin pix.

Noun

bike inan

1. pitch

Farefare

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bí.ké/

Verb

bike

1. shake, move

   Mam yetɩ m yõkɛ la foote, zɛ sĩm da bike

   I'm going to take a photo, keep still, and do not move

French

Verb

bike

1. inflection of biker:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English bike.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbajk/
• Rhymes: -ajk

Noun

bike f (invariable)

1. motorbike, motorcycle

Norman

Etymology

Borrowed from English bike.

Noun

bike f (plural bikes)

1. (Jersey) bicycle

Derived terms

• bike à cartchaîson (“cargo bike”)
• bike à deux (“tandem”)
• bike à montangne (“mountain bike”)
• c'mîn à bike, sente à bike (“bike path”)
• par à bikes (“bike rack”)

 

Northern Kurdish

Verb

bike

1. third-person singular future of kirin

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English bike.

Noun

bike f (plural bikes)

1. (Brazil) bike (bicycle)

   Synonym: bicicleta

Slovene

Noun

bike

1. accusative plural of bik