different between bike vs motocycle

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba?k/
• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): [b??k]
• Rhymes: -a?k

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)

1. Clipping of bicycle.
2. Clipping of motorbike.
3. (slang, derogatory) Ellipsis of village bike

   Synonyms: slapper, slag

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? Italian: bike f
• ? Norman: bike f

Translations

See also

• trike

Further reading

• bike on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

Verb

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

1. To ride a bike.

2. To travel by bike.

3. (transitive) To transport by bicycle

Translations

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 b?ocere (“beekeeper”); or from Old English *b?c a byform of Old English b?c (“belly; vessel; container”). Compare also Old Norse bý (“bee”).

Noun

bike (plural bikes)

1. (Scotland, Northern England) A hive of bees, or a nest of wasps, hornets, or ants.
   • 1955, Robin Jenkins, The Cone-Gatherers, Canongate 2012, p. 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

Etymology

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /bí.ké/

Verb

bike

1. shake, move

   Mam yet? m yõk? la foote, z? s?m da bike

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

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English bike.

Noun

bike f (invariable)

1. motorbike, motorcycle

Norman

Etymology

Borrowed from English bike.

Noun

bike f (plural bikes)

1. (Jersey) bicycle

Derived terms

Northern Kurdish

Verb

bike

1. third-person singular future of kirin

Slovene

Noun

bike

1. accusative plural of bik

English

Noun

motocycle (plural motocycles)

1. (US, dated) A horseless carriage.

See also

• motorcycle

Anagrams

• colectomy

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /m?.t?.sikl/

Noun

motocycle m (plural motocycles)

1. (dated or formal) motorcycle

Synonyms

• moto
• motocyclette

Descendants

Further reading

• “motocycle” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).