Wiktionary

bicycle

English edit

 
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A bicycle

Etymology edit

Borrowed from French bicycle (modern bicyclette), from bi- (“bi-”) + cycle (“cycle”). First attested in English in 1868, and in French in 1847.

(promiscuous woman): From double meaning of ride ("to transport oneself upon" vs. "to mount someone to have sex with them"). A communal bicycle would have many riders.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈbaɪsɪk(ə)l/
  • (Canada, idle-idol split) IPA(key): /ˈbʌɪsɪkəl/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Audio (UK)(file)
  • Audio (AU)(file)
  • Hyphenation: bi‧cy‧cle

Noun edit

bicycle (plural bicycles)

  1. A vehicle that has two wheels, one behind the other, a steering handle, and a saddle seat or seats and is usually propelled by the action of a rider’s feet upon pedals.
    Synonyms: (clipping) bike, pushbike, (historical) velocipede; see also Thesaurus:bicycle
    Hypernym: cycle
    • 1882, “Principle in Small Things”, in Popular Science Monthly, volume 22, page 274:
      In most English villages, as we are informed, bicycles are not allowed on the sidewalks; and the hand-books issued by English manufacturers of bicycles caution their customers that it is a forbidden practice, while in many places bells have to be attached to the bicycles even when ridden in the streets.
  2. A traveling block used on a cable in skidding logs.
  3. The best possible hand in lowball.
  4. (British, Australia, New Zealand) A motorbike.
  5. (vulgar slang, usually in compounds specifying a context) A slut; a promiscuous woman.
    • 2002, Minette Walters, Fox Evil, Macmillan, pages 162–3:
      ‘What sort of bullying does this sergeant go in for?’ ‘Character assassination,’ she said in a matter-of-fact tone that belied the very real difficulties it was causing her. ‘There’s a lot of whispering about slags and tarts behind my back and sniggers whenever I appear. Half of the men seem to think I’m a dyke who needs curing, the other half think I’m the platoon bicycle. [...]’
  6. (climbing) A stabilizing technique in which one foot is pushed down while the other is pulled up.
  7. (poker slang) The wheel: either the lowest straight (A-2-3-4-5) or the best low hand in Lowball or High-low poker.

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Descendants edit

Translations edit

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

Verb edit

bicycle (third-person singular simple present bicycles, present participle bicycling, simple past and past participle bicycled)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To travel or exercise using a bicycle.
  2. (television, historical, transitive) To physically ship (a recorded programme) to another broadcasting entity.
    • 2002, Roger Phillips Smith, The Other Face of Public Television, page 56:
      “Bicycling” defeated the possibility of topicality, a prime production habit of the network-trained production executives staffing the new entity.
    • 2014, Horace Newcomb, Encyclopedia of Television, page 177:
      In turn, two-inch tapes of these could be “bicycled” from one place to another across the country, thereby altering and improving production economies.

Translations edit

French edit

Alternative forms edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

bicycle m (plural bicycles)

  1. bicycle
    Synonym: bicyclette

Derived terms edit

Descendants edit

Further reading edit

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