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vélo

vélo

9.2
A two-wheeled vehicle that a person rides to go places
  • noun
  • /veɪloʊ/
  • Jargon
translation icon : bicicleta
  • J'ai acheté un nouveau vélo pour faire du cyclisme cet été.

Examples

Synonyms

velocipede
vsvélo
  • Archaic
1 9.9

An early vehicle you move with pedals that has two or three wheels

is the general French cycling term used today rather than an older vehicle type

Surface Forms

vélo singular
vélos plural

Etymology

The word vélo is a short form of vélocipède, from Latin velox meaning 'swift' and the same root as English velocity. So a vélo is a 'swift' wheeled vehicle, which is why the word means 'bicycle'.