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tricycle

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Etymology and origin of the French word tricycle

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1828 patent of Besnier Duchaussais More words from the 19th century
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek κύκλος
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
French tricycle
English tricycle

Pronunciation

Forms

tricycle m (plural tricycles)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French tri- + cycle, the second part meaning “with (so many) wheels”.[2][3][1] The TLF-Étym takes the noun as a shortening of voiture tricycle or omnibus tricycle, a horse-drawn public carriage with three wheels in Paris, with the adjective meaning “three-wheeled”, common in technical language.[2] The Greek origin of the word was probably no longer felt, since French had long had the noun in the senses “astronomical period” and “circle”.[2] Littré gives the Greek parts, Ancient Greek τρί (trí, “three”) and κύκλος (kúklos, “circle, wheel”).[4]

It belongs to a small series of names of horse-drawn carriages found in patents, such as monocycle (1832), hexacycle (1840) and bitricycle (1863), beside bicycle, a two-wheeled cab.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is a patent of 29 May 1828, in which Besnier Duchaussais says he has invented new three-wheeled carriages that he calls Tricycles.[2] The TLFi's earliest record is omnibus tricycle, also from 1828.[3]

Semantic evolution

In 1828 Paris launched its first public carriages on fixed routes, cheaper than the cab, and tricycle became known as the name of one of these omnibus lines.[2] An account of 1835 explains that the name came from their three wheels, two large ones in the middle and a small one in front, though they later had four.[2] The gender wavered: insurgents overturned une tricycle for a barricade in April 1834, but in 1852 the grammarian Bernard Jullien insisted it was masculine like cycle.[2]

From 1868 makers' advertisements and patents used the word for a three-wheeled velocipede.[2] Rey notes that it has stayed more alive than bicycle, and is now used mainly for children's cycles, quite distinct from a triporteur.[5] The adjective, used from 1831 of a three-wheeled farm tool (herse tricycle), was applied to a vehicle from 1846 and to an aircraft's landing gear from 1946.[2] Larousse recorded a small luggage cart in 1933.[3][6]

Timeline

  • 1828 – Besnier Duchaussais patents his Tricycles, three-wheeled public carriages.[2]
  • 1831 – A herse tricycle (three-wheeled harrow) is patented.[2]
  • 1834 – Landais records the noun “three-wheeled carriage”.[6][7]
  • 1846 – The adjective is used of a vehicle.[2]
  • 1868 – First used for a three-wheeled velocipede.[2]
  • 1878 – The Académie admits the word.[7]
  • 1933 – Larousse records a three-wheeled luggage cart.[3][6]
  • 1946 – Train tricycle is used of landing gear.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A cycle with three wheels, two of them at the back, especially a child's: offrir un tricycle à sa nièce.[8][3][6]
  2. A small three-wheeled cart for carrying luggage in stations and airports.[3][6]
  3. (historical) A three-wheeled horse-drawn public carriage in early 19th-century Paris.[2][4]

Adjective

  1. (aviation) Of landing gear: having one wheel under the front of the fuselage and two under the wings: train tricycle.[8][3][6]
  2. (technical) Having three wheels, of a vehicle or farm machine: charrue tricycle.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Steinfeld, Nadine; Buchi, Éva, eds. (2005–), TLF-Étym: révision des notices étymologiques du Trésor de la langue française informatisé, Nancy: ATILF
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  4. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c d e f Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  8. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
Cite this entry

“Tricycle.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/tricycle. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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