cyclen.1
/ˈsʌɪk(ə)l/ 1. Astronomy. A circle or orbit in the heavens.
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the world > the universe > heavenly body > movement of heavenly bodies > [noun] > movement in orbit > orbit
runeeOE
circlea1530
cycle1631
orbit1649
orb1733
1631 R. Brathwait Whimzies i. 2 Horizons, Hemispheares..Astrolabes, Cycles, Epicycles are his usuall dialect.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost viii. 84 How gird the Sphear With Centric and Eccentric scribl'd o're, Cycle and Epicycle, Orb in Orb. View more context for this quotation
2.
a. A recurrent period of a definite number of years adopted for purposes of chronology. (See quot. 1788.)cycle of indiction: see indiction cycle at indiction n. 3a. Metonic or lunar cycle: a cycle of 19 years, established by the Greek astronomer Meton, and used for determining the date of Easter. solar cycle: a period of 28 years, at the end of which the days of the week (according to the Julian Calendar) recur on the same days of the month.
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the world > time > period > cycle of time > [noun] > as a unit in chronology
cycle1387
year1548
period1613
the world > food and drink > farming > tools and implements > harvesting equipment > [noun] > reaping tools > sickle
hooka700
sicklea1000
crookc1290
cycle1387
reap hook1388
reaping hook1578
knife-hooka1599
crotchet1833
1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Rolls) VII. 271 The dissonaunce of þe cicles of Dionise the lesse ageyne the trawthe of gospelles.
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (1495) ix. iv. 349 The Cycle and course of the mone conteyneth twelue comyn yeres and seuen yeres Embolismalis.
c1425 Wyntoun Cron. ix. xxiii. 5 Ðe cikil of our Salvatioune Ðat is þe Annuntiatiowne.
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica iv. xii. 211 Of months, of years, Olympiades, Lustres, Indictions, Cycles, Jubilies, &c.
1656 T. Blount Glossographia (at cited word) This revolution is called the Cycle of the Sun, taking name from Sunday, the letter whereof (called therefore Dominical) it appoints for every yeer.
1788 J. Priestley Lect. Hist. iii. xiv. 111 The greatest difficulty in chronology has been to accommodate the two methods of computing time by the course of the moon and that of the sun to each other..This gave birth to many cycles in use among the ancients.
1806 J. Lingard Antiq. Anglo-Saxon Church I. i. 52 The Roman church about the middle of the sixth century adopted a new cycle, which had been lately composed by Dionysius Exiguus... But the British churches..continued to use the ancient cycle.
b. gen. A period in which a certain round of events or phenomena is completed, recurring in the same order in succeeding periods of the same length.
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the world > time > period > cycle of time > [noun]
wheel?c1225
circlec1475
revolution1554
zodiac1560
circuit1601
compass1609
orb?1611
round1652
cycle1662
1662 W. Petty Treat. Taxes 24 The cycle within which dearths and plenties make their revolution.
a1797 E. Burke Thoughts on Scarcity (1800) 6 Wages..bear a full proportion..to the medium of provision during the last bad cycle of twenty years.
1836 J. H. Newman et al. Lyra Apost. 171 The world has cycles in its course, when all That once has been, is acted o'er again.
1867 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest I. iii. 102 One of those curious cycles which so often come round in human affairs.
c. A long indefinite period of time; an age.
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the world > time > period > [noun]
timeOE
daysOE
sitheOE
agec1325
siecle1483
secle?1533
Iron Age1592
cycle1842
time span1880
1842 Ld. Tennyson Locksley Hall in Poems (new ed.) II. 110 Better fifty years of Europe than a cycle of Cathay.
1851 M. Reid Scalp Hunters I. xix. 246 After many years—ages, centuries, cycles perhaps.
3.
a. A recurrent round or course (of successive events, phenomena, etc.); a regular order or succession in which things recur; a round or series which returns upon itself.
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the world > time > period > cycle of time > [noun] > of events, etc.
wheel?c1225
cycle1664
period1796
1664 J. Evelyn Kalendarium Hortense 56 in Sylva To present our Gardners with a compleat Cycle of what is requisite to be done throughout every Moneth of the Year.
1691 A. Wood Athenæ Oxonienses II. 824 The Caroline Cycle [for the election of Proctors] being still kept back a year.
1861 M. Pattison in Westm. Rev. Apr. 415 A committee of nine members, in which every Hanse Town was in its turn represented, according to a fixed cycle.
1875 C. Lyell & L. Lyell Princ. Geol. (ed. 12) II. iii. xxxvii. 329 The whole cycle of changes returns into itself, just as do the metamorphoses of an insect.
b. Physics, etc. A recurring series of operations or states, spec. in internal combustion engines. Also, short for cycles per second (abbrev. C.P.S., cps., c/s), the unit of frequency of an oscillation (as an alternating current, a sound wave, etc.).
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the world > matter > physics > [noun] > specific concepts or principles of > recurring sequence
cyclea1884
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > electric current > alternating current > [noun] > rate of recurrence > unit of
cycle1920
the world > matter > physics > science of sound > vibration > [noun] > unit of frequency
c/s1940
c.p.s.1940
cycles per second1940
the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electronics > electronic phenomena > [noun] > frequency > unit of frequency
kilocycle1921
megacycle1926
Hertz1928
Mc1936
Mc/s1936
c/s1940
c.p.s.1940
cycles per second1940
a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 382/2 The complete cycle of motions in the Otto engine is accomplished only by two complete revolutions of the working shaft, or four strokes of the piston.
1887 Encycl. Brit. XXII. 479/2 Generally in heat-engines the working substance returns periodically to the same state of temperature, pressure, volume, and physical condition. When this has occurred the substance is said to have passed through a complete cycle of operations.
1892 T. O'C. Sloane Standard Electr. Dict. (1893) 175 Cycle of alternation, a full period of alternation of an alternating current. It begins properly at the zero line, goes to a maximum value in one sense and returns to zero, goes to maximum in the other sense and returns to zero.
1920 Whittaker's Electr. Engineer's Pocket-bk. (ed. 4) 348 In the early days, when electricity was used only for lighting, frequencies round about 100 cycles were usual.
1929 A. F. Collins Aviation 148 After the power stroke is completed three more strokes must take place before there is another explosion stroke and, hence, another power stroke. Then the series of strokes, or cycle, as it is called, begins all over again, and this is what is meant by a four-stroke cycle engine.
1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 206/1 C.P.S., cps., c/s, abbrevs. for cycles per second, the usual measure of frequency.
1944 A. Wood Physics of Music iv. 42 The lowest frequencies used in the orchestra are those of the double bass and the bass tuba, which lie between 60 and 80 cycles per second... Tones of male speech embrace a range of from 120 to 8000 c.p.s.
1959 Consumer Rep. (N.Y.) Sept. 452/2 Only one [tweeter] provided adequate and relatively uniform power in the high-frequency range to beyond 20,000 cps.
1965 Electronics Weekly 10 Mar. 22/5 It operates from a standard single phase 50 c/s supply.
1967 Electronics 6 Mar. 325/1 Markus continues to use ‘cycles per second’ instead of ‘hertz’.
c. Geol. cycle of erosion, cycle of sedimentation (see quots.).
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the world > the earth > structure of the earth > formation of features > sedimentation > [noun] > cycle
cycle of sedimentation1904
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > formation of features > erosion or weathering > [noun] > cycle
cycle of erosion1904
1904 T. C. Chamberlin & R. D. Salisbury Geol. (1905) I. iii. 78 It has now been seen that by whatever method erosion by running water proceeds..the final result of subaërial erosion must be the production of a base-level... The time involved in the reduction of a land area to base-level is a cycle of erosion.
1921 L. D. Stamp in Geol. Mag. 58 109 A ‘cycle of sedimentation’ comprises the deposits of a complete oscillation of the basin, each oscillation including a positive phase of marine invasion and a negative phase of regression.
1960 L. D. Stamp Britain's Struct. & Scenery (ed. 5) vii. 70 As the cycle of erosion progresses..features which are due to varying resistance of the rocks..gradually become eliminated as the surface is reduced to a monotonous level..plain.
4. gen. A round, course, or period through which anything runs in order to its completion; a single complete period or series of successive events, etc.
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the world > time > period > cycle of time > [noun] > through which anything runs to its completion
cycle1821
1821 P. B. Shelley Adonais xxvii. 16 Or hadst thou waited the full cycle, when Thy spirit should have filled its crescent sphere.
1845 R. C. Trench Fitness Holy Script. iv. 79 The cycle of God's teaching is complete.
1869 J. Martineau Ess. Philos. & Theol. 2nd Ser. 230 Doctrines which have run their cycle.
5. A complete set or series; a circle, a round.
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the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > [noun] > a series or succession > series ending as it begins
circlec1475
cycle1662
1662 J. Evelyn Sculptura sig. b1v To compile, and publish a Compleat Cycle and Hystory of Trades.
1678 A. Wood Life & Times (1892) II. 401 Vide the printed cycle for names of collectors and how many admitted.
1829 W. Scott Lett. Demonol. iv. 121 [He] figures among a cycle of champions.
a1836 W. Godwin Ess. (1873) 217 The most intolerable sentence in the whole cycle of religious morality.
6. spec. A series of poems or prose romances, collected round or relating to a central event or epoch of mythic history and forming a continuous narrative; as the Arthurian cycle. Also transferred.Originally used in the Epic cycle [Greek ὁ (ἐπικὸς) κύκλος] , the series of epic poems written by later poets (Cyclic poets) to complete Homer, and presenting (with the Iliad and Odyssey) a continuous history of the Trojan war and of all the heroes engaged in it.
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society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > legend or folk tale > [noun] > cycle
cyclus1810
cycle1835
society > leisure > the arts > literature > poetry > poem or piece of poetry > narrative poem > [noun] > epic poem > epic cycle
Epic cycle1835
1835 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece I. vi. 248 They..formed the basis or nucleus of the epic cycle.
1837 Penny Cycl. IX. 470/1 Those cycles of metrical romances which have for their subjects the exploits of Alexander the Great, King Arthur, and other heroes.
1870 A. C. Swinburne in Fortn. Rev. May 554 The marvellous opening cycle of twenty-six sonnets.
1873 H. Morley First Sketch Eng. Lit. 61 The cycle of the Charlemagne romances..those of the Arthurian cycle.
1874 H. R. Reynolds John the Baptist i. §6. 56 The mythopoeic faculty has not engendered a cycle of miracles around the simple story.
7. Medicine. [ < Latin cyclus.] With the ‘methodic’ physicians: A course of remedies, hygienic and medicinal, continued during a fixed series of days.
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1882 New Sydenham Soc. Lexicon Cælius Aurelianus distinguished three kinds of cycles or periods..The cycle was resumed several times if needed.
8. Botany. A complete turn of the spire recognized in the theory of spiral leaf-arrangement.
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1857 A. Henfrey Elem. Course Bot. 41 The series of leaves included by the spiral line in passing from the first leaf to that which stands directly above it is called a cycle.
9. Zoology. In corals, a set of septa of equal length.
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1877 T. H. Huxley Man. Anat. Invertebrated Animals iii. 164 The septa in the adult Hexacoralla..of the same lengths are members of one ‘cycle’; and the cycles are numbered according to the lengths of the septa, the longest being counted as the first. In the young, six equal septa constitute the first cycle.
10. Mathematics.
a. Geometry. A closed path in a cyclic or multiply-connected region.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicle propelled by feet > [noun] > cycle
machine1823
cycle1870
iron (also steam) horse1874
wheel1880
cycle1881
1881 J. C. Maxwell Treat. Electr. & Magnetism (ed. 2) I. 16 Every new line completes a loop or closed path, or, as we shall call it, a cycle.
b. (See quot. 1893.)
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1893 A. R. Forsyth Theory Functions Complex Variable 593 In the theory of Substitution-Groups the set of homologous corners of a given region is called a cycle.
Draft additions December 2005
Baseball. The act of hitting each of a single, double, triple, and home run in a single game. Esp. in to hit for the cycle: to accomplish this (also in extended use).
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1929 Washington Post 17 Nov. m23/2 To Joe Cronin fell the honor of being the only batsman to hit for the cycle during the season..gathering a single, a double, a triple, and a home run.
1975 N.Y. Times 13 Aug. 39/7 Chambliss..walked in the eighth when a home run would have given him the ‘cycle’.
1992 P. Lefcourt Dreyfus Affair xvi. 159 Why not have it all? Hit for the cycle.
2000 P. Goldenbock Spirit of Saint Louis vii. 46 Twice in 1887 he hit for the cycle.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
cyclen.2
/ˈsʌɪkl/, U.S. /ˈsaɪkəl/ In early use: any pedal-powered vehicle with wheels and a saddle; a monocycle, bicycle, tricycle, etc. Now usually: a bicycle. Also occasionally: a motorcycle.all-terrain, exercise, hand-, motor-, pedal, quadri-, unicycle, etc.: see the first element.When not the first or second element in a compound cycle is less common than bicycle and bike.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicle propelled by feet > [noun] > cycle
machine1823
cycle1870
iron (also steam) horse1874
wheel1880
cycle1881
1870 Nat. Hist. Bicycles in Belgravia Feb. 443 Another idea for a monocycle (which, by the way, might be called a ‘cycle’ at once, for shortness).
1870 Eng. Mech. & Mirror of Sci. 19 Aug. 514/2 I have never yet seen a bicycle, tricycle, or any other kind of cycle,..which did not completely use up the whole muscular energy of the most muscular of muscular Christians.
1881 Pall Mall Gaz. 23 June 10/2 The ‘spider wheel’..marks the commencement of the present era of 'cycles.
1907 H. H. Peerless Diary 11 June in Brief Jolly Change (2003) 108 Get our cycles and away we go, heigho for Romsey.
1952 Pop. Mech. July 80 (caption) Members of the motorcycle corps did..acrobatic stunts while racing at top speed on their cycles.
1976 N. Bond String in Harp vi. 123 The only soul to be seen..was the paper boy on his cycle.
2006 Observer (Nexis) 15 Oct. (Mag.) 83 On rainy days I went by train with my cycle in the..guard's van.
Compounds
C1.
a. General attributive, objective, and instrumental, as cycle manufacturer, cycle repair, etc.
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1878 London Bicycle Club Gaz. 29 Aug. 156/1 It is..my duty to describe one [run] I made in the above beautiful though little 'cycle-travelled county.
1884 Cleveland (Ohio) Herald 18 May 6/2 He will bring with him W. F. Sutton, the well known amateur cycle racer of England.
1919 Times 18 Dec. 9/2 The first men who ever left the ground in a mechanically propelled..machine were spending their days in cycle repair.
1937 Pop. Sci. Monthly May 42/2 Starting at Kiev, the cycle cavalcade went along the shores of the Caspian Sea.
1962 Punch 12 Dec. 878/1 A cycle firm is bringing out a mini-bike.
1997 A. Sivanandan When Memory Dies ii. iv. 165 He fetched his bike from the cycle shed and joined me.
2007 Wall St. Jrnl. 18 Sept. d2/6 In order to compete in the races, cycle manufacturers have to build hundreds of the bikes for sale to consumers.
b.
cycle race n.
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1879 London Bicycle Club Gaz. 30 Oct. 265/2 The Londoners did not take sufficient interest in 'cycle races to turn up in great force.
1909 Pop. Mech. Oct. 504/2 The most disastrous motorcycle accident that has ever occurred took place at the botanic gardens in Berlin during a cycle race.
2010 J. K. Abraham Paris made Me 60 The traditional annual Tour de France cycle race was to pass through the United Kingdom.
cycle racing n.
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1882 Collier's Cycl. Social & Commerc. Information 733/1 (table) Cycle racing.
1912 Ann. Rep. Board of Regents Smithsonian Instit. 1911 641 In the early days of cycle racing, in order to lighten the machine, the racing men had no brake.
2010 Sunday Times (Nexis) 23 May 30 My seven-year old son is desperate to try cycle racing—is it possible at his age?
cycle rack n.
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1895 N.-Y. Times 4 Apr. 6/3 A third-of-a-mile track, with extra large grand stands,..cycle racks, electric lights, and a big fence to shut out the ocean breezes.
1950 W. Holford & H. M. Wright Cambr. Planning Proposals I. 33 We..propose that cycle racks should be placed in the Market Place.
2012 Northern Echo (Electronic ed.) 23 Feb. 20 Secured bikes were taken from a cycle rack and their locks were also removed.
cycle route n.
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1892 Echo (London) 6 June 4/1 What is the best cycle route from London to Ipswich, and about how long will it take?
1969 Port Angeles (Washington) Evening News 16 Oct. 3/2 Cycle routes have been established in the Yacolt Burn in Southwestern Washington.
2009 M. Beaumont Man who cycled World (2011) 292 The cycle route I was following sent me on a crazy loop to miss the busy roads.
cycle shop n.
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1881 London Bicycle Club Gaz. 4 Mar. 16/2 The room in which I am writing is..like a 'cycle shop in Queen Victoria Street.
1995 M. Lawrence et al. Which? Guide Home Safety & Security ii. 123 Start by having the bike security-marked, either at a cycle shop or at a police station.
C2.
a. attributive. Designating a component part or accessory of a bicycle or (occasionally) motorcycle, as cycle bell, cycle pedal, cycle wheel, etc.
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1881 London Bicycle Club Gaz. 10 June 109/2 I don't like fixed 'cycle bells; they get in the way of one's legs when over the handles.
1891 N.-Y. Times 3 May 13/2 A Newcastle inventor has applied for a patent to construct cycle wheels without spokes.
1923 Manch. Guardian 8 Dec. 6/3 Another good toy..is a motor-car driven by cycle pedals.
1967 Pop. Sci. June 89/2 One thing wrong with you is that your cycle seat is too low.
1982 Amer. Motorcyclist Nov. 55/3 (advt.) Wisconsin's largest cycle tire outlet.
1992 J. Crace Arcadia iii. ii. 199 Spuds and sweetcorn..were ember-baked on skewers made from cycle spokes.
2011 C. Dakin Cycling in Peak District 217/2 The quick release lever should end up firmly closed parallel and close to the cycle frame.
b.
cycle horn n.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicle propelled by feet > [noun] > cycle > parts and equipment of cycles > horn or bell
cycle horn1889
cyclorn1891
1889 Berrow's Worcester Jrnl. 28 Sept. 6/3 They exhibit an electric bell, new French cycle horn,..and a miscellaneous assortment of lamps.
1904 Motor 24 May 426/2 I blew my cycle horn, shouted, and threw pebbles at him, but he refused to budge.
2008 Express & Echo (Exeter) (Nexis) 9 June 6 Cycle horns are available at reduced price.
C3. attributive. Designating clothing or footwear designed to be worn while cycling or (occasionally) motorcycling, as cycle jacket, cycle shoe, etc. See also cycle shorts n. at Compounds 4.
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1887 Belfast News-let. 6 June 1/3 (advt.) To cyclists. Wm. Reid's cycle shoes are the best.
1897 Outing May 197/2 Remove the wheels, saddle, pedals, tool-bag and other accessories, and pack them solidly with the frame in a large trunk, with cycle clothing, etc.
1932 Manch. Guardian 14 Nov. 11/3 Dressed in grey tweed cycling knickers, a blue cycle jacket, grey stockings, and black shoes.
1978 Washington Post (Nexis) 23 May b1 All the other equipment worn by cyclists, including cycle gloves.
1983 Amer. Motorcyclist Oct. 12/1 (advt.) Hi-Point has been a leader in quality cycle boots for over 15 years.
1999 E. M. Cosin Zen & City of Angels xii. 53 With the wind roaring in my ears and my brand new cycle shoes clipped tightly into the pedals, I flew around corners.
2008 J. Forsyth & N. Forsyth Cycle Touring in Switzerland 35/2 Cycle shirts with rear pockets for maps, money or snacks work really well.
C4.
cycle battery n. †(a) an artillery subunit who ride bicycles; cf. cyclist n.2 Compounds (obsolete rare); (b) a battery used to power a bicycle light.
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1887 Spectator 17 Sept. 1244 We may see the time when cycle-batteries will be a feature of every army.
1937 Electrician 19 Feb. 252/2 Accumulators of the alkaline type are shown, together with dry batteries,..torch, flashlamp and cycle batteries.
2004 Lincs. Echo (Nexis) 31 Jan. 14 One cyclist..was caught..cycling without a rear light... Several of the defendants spoke of the scarcity of cycle batteries.
cyclecar n. now historical (a) any of various cars or trolleys propelled or towed by pedal power along a railway track (cf. handcar n. at hand n. Compounds 6) (rare); (b) a light motor-driven vehicle chiefly designed on motorcycle principles, popular mainly between 1910 and the mid 1920s as an economical alternative to a standard car.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > motor car > [noun] > three-wheeled car
cyclecar1891
tri-car1903
tri-motor-car1905
1891 United Service Nov. 492 Go over it [sc. a rail] on a bicycle with broad-grooved wheels... Drag after you a little train of groove-wheel cycle cars.
1897 Railway Age 24 Sept. 806/1 Railway Cycle Manufacturing company..; single and double Hartley & Teeter [read Teetor] cycle cars.
1900 Yorks. Herald 7 Aug. 7/7 215 cyclists turned out, there also being three cycle-cars and four motor-cycles.
1914 Morning Post 9 Feb. 5 A Cyclecar Paperchase.
1954 ‘N. Shute’ Slide Rule 12 A little car built of motor bicycle components, then known as a cyclecar.
2001 Automobile June 44/2 Thompson Brothers..will lose their..last connection with the TB cyclecar of 1920–24.
cycle clip n. (a) a clip used to attach something to a bicycle (now rare); (b) = bicycle clip n. at bicycle n. Compounds 4.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicle propelled by feet > [noun] > cycle > parts and equipment of cycles > bicycle clip
cycle clip1886
bicycle clip1898
bike clip1940
1886 Eng. Mechanic & World of Sci. 8 Jan. p. v/2 (advt.) Lancaster's half-plate Meritoire Camera, complete, tripod and cycle clip, four double backs,..thorough working order.
1899 Liverpool Mercury 10 Oct. 9/5 The battalion will parade..on Monday... Cycle drill at 8 p.m.; plain clothes; cycle clips must be attached to machines.
1902 Golf Illustr. 21 Feb. 156/3 (advt.) Balfour cycle clips, for carrying Clubs on Cycles.
1955 P. Larkin Less Deceived 28 Hatless, I take off My cycle-clips in awkward reverence.
2011 Daily Record (Glasgow) (Nexis) 15 June 7 Cycling gear has come a long way since cycle clips and a rubber Mac.
cycle ergometer n. = bicycle ergometer n. at bicycle n. Compounds 4.
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1913 Proc. Royal Soc. London 87 98 The cycle-ergometer upon which the subject performs definite amounts of mechanical work.
1987 Amer. Jrnl. Nursing 87 286/1 They gave patients a 10-week thrice-weekly aerobic program on a cycle ergometer.
2009 M. Coulson & D. Archer Pract. Fitness Testing 178/1 The running in the test is considered to be a more relevant form of exercise testing than using a cycle ergometer.
cycle helmet n. chiefly British a light safety helmet for cyclists; cf. bicycle helmet n. at bicycle n. Compounds 4.
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1984 Times 7 Sept. 11/7 A report from a road safety working party will recommend..a British Standard for cycle helmets.
2003 Southland (N.Z.) Times (Electronic ed.) 17 May Police said the girl could thank her parents for being so insistent about her wearing a cycle helmet, otherwise she would have suffered life-threatening injuries.
cycle lane n. chiefly British = bicycle lane n. at bicycle n. Compounds 4.
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1934 Times 17 Dec. 22/2 Protests against experimental cycle lanes.
2001 B. Broady In this Block there lives Slag 171 A rusty council van..was pulling out—without indicating... I shaded into the cycle lane to let it pass.
cycle-man n. (a) a man who rides a bicycle, esp. as a sport; spec. Military †a cavalryman mounted on a bicycle rather than a horse (obsolete); (b) a man who repairs or sells bicycles.
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1886 Boston Daily Globe 20 July 2/3 A large number of cycle men gathered in the rooms of the Waltham Club and amused themselves with billiards and card playing.
1887 Globe 19 Apr. ‘Cycleman’ is the latest name for the ‘Uhlan on wheels’.
1900 W. P. Ridge Breaker of Laws x. 177 ‘How's business?’ ‘Simplee gorgeous,’ said the cycle man.
2008 Philadelphia Inquirer (Nexis) 12 June e2 She is dating cycleman Lance Armstrong.
cycle path n. = bicycle path n. at bicycle n. Compounds 4.
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1896 Cent. Mag. Sept. 787/1 In the State of New York the legislature has made special provision for the construction of cycle-paths in several of the interior counties.
1966 E. Kyle Love is for Living iv. 32 A cycle-path ran by the side of the road.
2001 K. Sampson Outlaws (2002) 272 The only sticky bit comes past the Leasowe dunes where the wind has piled the sand in over the cycle path.
cycle-rickshaw n. a type of tricycle with a covered seat behind the driver for passengers, used as a form of transport for public hire; a pedicab; cf. bicycle rickshaw n. at bicycle n. Compounds 4.
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1941 La Crosse (Wisconsin) Tribune & Leader-Press 3 Mar. 4/8 (headline) Cycle rickshaw appears. Rickshaws in Japan may give way to the tricycle taxi.
1960 R. Kirkbride Innocent Abroad xi. 82 We crossed a humped bridge..in the city, dodging about amongst cycle-rickshaws and samlors.
2004 Sunday Times Trav. Feb. 161/4 Bharatpur..has..a network of dykes crisscrossing its marshland landscape, which means it can be explored by bike, by cycle-rickshaw and on foot.
cycle scout n. Military a scout mounted on a motorcycle or (in early use) a bicycle; cf. cyclist n.2 Compounds.
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1887 Notts. Guardian 15 Apr. 4/6 There are so many cyclists in the volunteer ranks, and amongst intelligent civilians, that if we are to have cycle scouts the volunteers should be the boys to provide them.
1940 P. Welch Final Hosting xxii. 337 The cycle scouts, rifles slung across their backs, waited with slow purring engines.
1999 FDCH Federal Dept. & Agency Documents (Nexis) 26 Aug. Cycle scouts..carry spare parts, morning orders..and intelligence reports from the field to the command operations center, or vice versa.
cycle shorts n. chiefly British = cycling shorts n. at cycling n. Compounds 3.
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1985 Times 22 Oct. 15/1 A fast-paced feminine collection which put cycle shorts under elongated knit tunics.
2003 Irish Voice (Nexis) 4 Mar. 26 Sore bottoms are still an occupational hazard, but a pair of padded cycle shorts or a gel saddle cover can work wonders.
cycle track n. (a) a path or lane for (the exclusive use of) bicycles; (b) a track used for cycle racing, now typically oval with raised sides allowing cyclists maximum speeds at the turns; a velodrome.
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1884 Boston Daily Globe 10 Jan. 2/7 R. Varley..is trying to get cyclists to join with him in providing a special asphalt cycle track from Streatham to Brighton, striking out a straight line of its own.
1897 Jrnl. Educ. Feb. 83/1 (advt.) It stands in its own fine grounds of fourteen acres, including Out-door Gymnasium, Cycle Track, Cricket and Hockey Grounds.
1935 Hansard Commons 3 July 1853 If cycle tracks are provided, is the use of the main road prohibited to cyclists?
1992 City (Oxf. City Council) Spring 4/2 The long-awaited cycle track through the University Parks was opened last November.
2008 Guardian 16 Aug. 1/5 A weekend which could see a rush of medals for Britain..; in multiple events on the rowing course and cycle track.
cycleway n. originally U.S. (a) a track or thoroughfare for the (usually exclusive) use of bicycles; cf. bikeway n. at bike n.2 Compounds 4; (b) chiefly British (frequently in form cycle way) a route classed as suitable for cyclists, concentrating on minor roads and cycle paths.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > route or way > way, path, or track > [noun] > for bicycles
bicycle path1875
cycleway1884
bike path1895
bikeway1895
cycle path1896
1884 Iron 10 Oct. 346/3 System of Cycle-ways for Roads.
1921 Times 14 July 11/6 The Great West Road, now to be widened to 120 ft. to provide room for footways, tramways, horse and cycle ways, besides the ordinary road.
1992 R. Walker & R. Jarvis Cumbria Cycle Way (2000) 7 The Cycle Way is a carefully thought-out route, mostly along minor roads, extending 260 miles in a roughly circular shape.
2001 B. Richards Future Transport in Cities iii. 33 Action by Green activists in Copenhagen..resulted in cycleways being provided beside all main roads in the city centre.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
cyclev.1
/ˈsʌɪk(ə)l/ intransitive. To move or revolve in cycles; to pass through cycles.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > period > cycle of time > [verb (intransitive)] > turn, cycle, or revolve (of time)
revolve1449
cycle1842
wheela1849
1842 Ld. Tennyson Two Voices in Poems (new ed.) II. 139 It may be that no life is found, Which only to one engine bound Falls off, but cycles always round.
1859 C. Darwin Origin of Species xiv. 490 Whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online September 2018).
cyclev.2
/ˈsʌɪkl/, U.S. /ˈsaɪkəl/ 1. intransitive. To ride a bicycle; to travel by cycle. See cycle n.2
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society > travel > transport > cycling > cycle [verb (intransitive)]
bicycle1869
cycle1878
wheel1884
bike1885
push-bike1914
1878 [implied in: London Bicycle Club Gaz. 25 Apr. 96/1 I met a 'cycling parson here. This gentleman..does all his parish work on a bicycle. (at cycling adj.)].
1880 Western Mail (Cardiff) 22 Mar. 2/6 (advt.) Latest ‘tips’ to cyclists desirous of Cycling as cheaply as possible this season.
1891 Cyclists' Touring Club Gaz. Dec. 340 On landing at Dieppe [he] would cycle or train, according to the state of the weather.
1956 Amer. Motorcyclist Jan. 17/2 As I cycled through on various rented motorcycles I was enchanted by the narrow winding streets.
1978 M. de Larrabeiti Rose beyond Thames 87 He bought..me a second-hand bike so that I could cycle to school and save the tram fare.
2011 Independent on Sunday (Nexis) 21 Aug. 10 Twenty-four per cent of our employees cycle regularly.
2. transitive. To cover or traverse (a specified distance) by cycle; to travel (a region, route, etc.) by cycle.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > cycling > cycle [verb (transitive)] > cover a distance by cycling
bicycle1874
cycle1882
bike1897
1882 Boy's Own Paper 11 Feb. 326/3 Altogether it seemed the longest fourteen miles I had ever cycled.
1890 Bristol Mercury 24 Nov. 6/5 To run one mile, at the rate of 12 miles an hour, will take more out of him in every way than to cycle 20 miles in one hour.
1946 Boys' Life July 46/2 The station master at Baroda directed me to cycle fifteen miles along a road.
1984 B. MacLaverty Cal (new ed.) 7 He cycled the countryside on his breadcart of a bicycle.
1995 M. B. Alsmeyer Six Years after D-Day 146 We cycled the narrow crooked streets lined with medieval houses.
2006 Arena Oct. 48/2 Who wouldn't take a little livener before cycling 3,000 miles to the Pyrenees?
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2012; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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