Etymograph

English

bicycle

Bicycle comes from French cycle, from Late Latin cyclus ‘a circle’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷel-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷel-1root named by Wiktionary
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷékʷlos2‘circle, wheel’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kúklos2‘circle, wheel’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκύκλος3‘circle’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcyclus4‘a circle’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentcycle5
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentbicycle1
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1882bicycle1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English bicycle
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek κύκλος
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin cyclus
  4. 4 Wiktionary, French cycle
  5. 5 Wiktionary, French bicycle
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1882, Principle in Small Things: “In most English villages, as we are informed, bicycles…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷel-Wiktionary, English bicycleroot named by Wiktionary
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kʷékʷlosWiktionary, Ancient Greek κύκλος‘circle, wheel’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kúklosWiktionary, Ancient Greek κύκλος‘circle, wheel’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκύκλοςWiktionary, Latin cyclus‘circle’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcyclusWiktionary, French cycle‘a circle’
  6. Frenchc. 1600–presentcycleWiktionary, French bicycle
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentbicycleWiktionary, English bicycle
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1882bicycleWiktionary, English bicycle. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1882, Principle in Small Things: “In most English villages, as we are informed, bicycles…”

first attested First attested in English in 1868, and in French in 1847 (as stated in Wiktionary’s etymology)

The story

First attested in English in 1868, and in French in 1847. "to mount someone to have sex with them"). A communal bicycle would have many riders.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kʷel-

pole, polar, columnist, loaf, bazaar, accolade, pulley, bucolic, 8 more

through Proto-Indo-European *kʷékʷlos ‘circle, wheel’

wheel, chakra, 13 more

through Proto-Hellenic *kúklos ‘circle, wheel’

encyclical, 7 more

through Ancient Greek κύκλος ‘circle’

kike, cyclic, cyclamen, 7 more

through French cycle

tricycle, 2 more

Today it means

noun A vehicle that has two primary 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.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “bicycle”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek κύκλος, Latin cyclus, French cycle, French bicycle. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- / bicycle

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