Where does “motorcycle” come from?
Motorcycle derives from English motor plus English cycle, which comes from Ancient Greek κύκλος meaning "wheel" or "circle," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kʷel- meaning "to turn."
motorcycle (English): An open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars...
Definitions
- An open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars...
Ancestry of “motorcycle”, step by step
| 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 | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tōr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -tor-s | — |
Words derived from “motorcycle”