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tricycle

 - 3 dictionary results

tri⋅cy⋅cle

[trahy-si-kuhl, -sik-uhl]
–noun
1. a vehicle, esp. one for children, having one large front wheel and two small rear wheels, propelled by foot pedals.
2. a velocipede with three wheels propelled by pedals or hand levers.
3. a three-wheeled motorcycle.

Origin:
1820–30; < F; see tri-, cycle
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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tri·cy·cle   (trī'sĭk'əl, -sĭ-kəl)   
n.  A vehicle, used especially by small children, that has three wheels, one at the front and two at the back, and is usually propelled by pedals.

[French : tri-, three (from Greek tri-; see tri-) + Greek kuklos, wheel; see cycle.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

tricycle 
1828, "three-wheeled horse-drawn carriage," from Fr. tricycle (1827), from tri- + cycle. The pedal-powered version is first attested 1868. Short form trike (on the model of bike) is attested from 1883.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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