Where does “motorbike” come from?
Motorbike combines English motor with English bike, which derives from English bicycle, ultimately from Latin bis and Ancient Greek κύκλος meaning circle.
motorbike (English): A motorcycle; A small and light motorcycle; To...
Definitions
- A motorcycle; A small and light motorcycle; To...
Ancestry of “motorbike”, step by step
motorbike traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English bike
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | bike | Clipping of bicycle; Clipping of motorbike;... |
| 2 | English | bicycle | A vehicle that has two wheels, one behind the... |
| 3 | French | bicycle | bicycle |
| 4 | French | bi- | bi |
| 5 | Latin | bis | twice, two times, on two occasions, in two ways |
| 6 | Latin | color | colour, shade; color; pigment; complexion |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | μέτρον | something used to measure: measure, rule, weight;... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | -τρον | Forms instrument nouns |
| 9 | Proto-Hellenic | -tron | Forms instrument nouns from verb stems |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
via English motor
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | motor | A machine or device that converts other energy... |
| 2 | Middle English | motour | — |
| 3 | Latin | motor | mover; that which moves something; first-person... |
| 4 | Latin | -tor | -er |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -tōr | Forms agent nouns to verb stems |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tōr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tor-s | — |