Tell the Difference Between a Motorcycle and a Motorbike
Do you have a hard time figuring out what someone means when they say they have a bike, or they ask you if you have a bike? Sometimes the term bike means a push-pedal bicycle, and sometimes it means a motorcycle. This can be especially confusing if you're learning English. Here are some tips.
Steps
- Look at the root of each word. Bike originated as the word bicycle, so technically "bike" is "bicycle". However the makeup of the word bicycle is "bi", meaning 2, and "kuklos", meaning "circle" (from the Greeks). Assuming this definition, the contacted word "bike" could mean any structure that has 2 circles, or more strictly anything that has 2 wheels. Therefore, "bike" can mean "bicycle" or "motorcycle" depending on format and usage.
- Consider where you are. "Bike" is more likely to mean "bicycle" in the United States than it is to mean "motorcycle." The word "cycle" is used most often in the form "cycling," which is a shortened form of "bicycling," meaning the sport of riding a self-propelled two-wheeled vehicle.
- Note that when used as a verb, biking probably means motorcycle riding. Riding a bicycle is usually referred to as cycling.
Warnings
- They can all mean the same thing ie. a motor vehicle. However, cycle and bike can mean "bicycle" (non-motorised) depending on context.
