tricycle (English)
Where does "tricycle" come from?
The English noun 'tricycle' was borrowed from French 'tricycle'[1], which was formed from the prefix 'tri-' combined with 'cycle'[2]. The component 'cycle' traces through Middle French and Late Latin 'cyclus'[3] to Ancient Greek 'κύκλος'[4], meaning 'circle'[4], which itself descends from the Proto-Indo-European root '*kʷékʷlos'[5] meaning 'circle, wheel'[5]. This root is a reduplicated derivative of '*kʷel-', which means 'to turn'[6].
Open questions
- The Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Hellenic forms are reconstructed by linguists rather than directly attested in writing. [5] [6]
Full etymology tree
- tricycle (English), 'A cycle with three wheels, powered by pedals and usually intended for young children.'
- borrowed tricycle (French), 'tricycle'
- compound tri- (French), 'tri-'
- compound cycle (French), 'cycle'
- inherited cycle (Middle French)
- inherited cyclus (Latin), 'a circle'
- inherited κύκλος (kúklos) (Ancient Greek), 'circle, ring'
- inherited *kúklos, *kʷókʷlos (Proto-Hellenic)
- inherited *kʷékʷlos (Proto-Indo-European), 'wheel'
- derived *kʷel- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *kʷékʷlos (Proto-Indo-European), 'wheel'
- inherited *kúklos, *kʷókʷlos (Proto-Hellenic)
- inherited κύκλος (kúklos) (Ancient Greek), 'circle, ring'
- inherited cyclus (Latin), 'a circle'
- inherited cycle (Middle French)
- borrowed tricycle (French), 'tricycle'
Ancestors
- tricycle (French)
Descendants and derived words
- freight tricycle (English)
Sources
- tricycle (English) - Wiktionary
- tricycle (French) - Wiktionary
- cycle (French) - Wiktionary
- cyclus (Latin) - Wiktionary
- κύκλος (kúklos) (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
- kʷékʷlos (Proto-Indo-European) - Wiktionary
Updated August 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris