*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of trike

Shortening of tricycle, modelled on bike.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To tricycle; to travel by tricycle.

noun

A tricycle, typically that of a child. · A three-wheeled motorbike. · A kind of railroad maintenance vehicle: a speeder or jigger.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Shortening of tricycle, modelled on bike.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "tricycle",
      "tricycle#English"
    ],
    [
      "bike",
      "bike#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To tricycle; to travel by tricycle."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "032bb361458403b3919b3a12e6c046ad96b6ec89d07aa5362c8dbdc8380e0668",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5c6b1b4ee3ae3c3ecd506b71732430710f705ce976d9fc0467c77df96dfd299d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 203055
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A tricycle, typically that of a child.",
        "A three-wheeled motorbike.",
        "A kind of railroad maintenance vehicle: a speeder or jigger."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "e47748e70c22006c6b9ba20378a0010328fb5e664ccf99435903e323031c3742",
      "rawRecordSha256": "96d39e44764b121102f229f3912bb7d6ca53ce8c61a1cbdf2a627198ed0b4ebe",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 203054
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A triceratops.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Shortening of triceratops.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "triceratops",
      "triceratops#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A triceratops."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "ab98bbda925c20e7b3a4043ae465bf8a32ad0d7596005d0fcc214c467b81cf98",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8b825d53513c7fa605b7434d66204dcf25f613023456e6efda5986224888d22d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 203056
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for trike →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-dHJpa2U