bicycle

[bahy-si-kuh l, -sik-uh l, -sahy-kuh l]

noun

a vehicle with two wheels in tandem, usually propelled by pedals connected to the rear wheel by a chain, and having handlebars for steering and a saddlelike seat.

verb (used without object), bi·cy·cled, bi·cy·cling.

to ride a bicycle.

verb (used with object), bi·cy·cled, bi·cy·cling.

to ship or transport directly by bicycle or other means.

Origin of bicycle

From French, dating back to 1865–70; see origin at bi-¹, cycle

Related formsbi·cy·clist, bi·cy·cler, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bicyclist

Contemporary Examples of bicyclist

The body of Sylvain Mollier, 45, a French bicyclist, was also found riddled with bullets outside the car.
Breakthrough In Alps Family Murder Case
Barbie Latza Nadeau
February 19, 2014
The body of Sylvain Mollier, 45, a French bicyclist, was also found outside the car.
Plot Thickens in Grisly French Alps Murders
Barbie Latza Nadeau
October 29, 2012

Historical Examples of bicyclist

One was attired as a bicyclist, and the other 25 wore ordinary summer clothes.
The Associate Hermits
Frank R. Stockton
The bicyclist said nothing in reply, but the remark was not lost upon him.
Dusty Diamonds Cut and Polished
R.M. Ballantyne
Bob Budd stood a full minute after the bicyclist vanished in the gloom.
The Campers Out
Edward S. Ellis
It was not altogether country that would have suited a bicyclist.
Through Arctic Lapland
Cutcliffe Hyne
"I was back pedalling for all I was worth anyhow," said the bicyclist.
Kipps
H. G. Wells

British Dictionary definitions for bicyclist

bicycle

noun

a vehicle with a tubular metal frame mounted on two spoked wheels, one behind the other. The rider sits on a saddle, propels the vehicle by means of pedals that drive the rear wheel through a chain, and steers with handlebars on the front wheelOften shortened to: cycle, informal bike

verb

(intr) to ride a bicycle; cycle

Derived Formsbicyclist or bicycler, noun

Word Origin for bicycle

C19: from bi- 1 + Late Latin cyclus, from Greek kuklos wheel

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bicyclist

1869, from bicycle + -ist.

bicycle

1868, coined from bi- "two" + Greek kyklos "circle, wheel" (see cycle (n.)), on the pattern of tricycle; both the word and the vehicle superseding earlier velocipede. The English word probably is not from French, though often said to be (many French sources say the French word is from English). The assumption apparently is because Pierre Lallement, employee of a French carriage works, improved Macmillan's 1839 pedal velocipede in 1865 and took the invention to America. See also pennyfarthing. As a verb, from 1869.

That ne plus ultra of snobbishness -- bicyclism. [1876]