Cyclos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of pedal-powered vehicle often used as a taxi or for short-distance travel in some Asian countries; a cycle with passengers seated in a small carriage attached to the bicycle; a human-powered transport device featuring a tricycle with passenger accommodation
2. A human-propelled three-wheeled conveyance designed for carrying passengers; a pedal-operated cart commonly seen in urban transport settings in Asia; a cycle-based passenger vehicle featuring a driver pedaling to move the carriage
3. A tricycle adapted for transporting people, powered by pedaling; a man-powered cycle vehicle used primarily for transporting fares; a pedal-driven three-wheeler with seating space for passengers often utilized in cities

Etymology: In French colonial Indochina, a "cyclo-pousse" was a bicycle-powered carriage, a name that combined "cycle" with "pousse," meaning "push." Its later clipped form, "cyclo," went on to name the pedal trike that now carries passengers in Vietnam, Cambodia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. The root is the Greek "kyklos," meaning "circle" or "wheel," which also gave English "cycle." The Vietnamese term "xích lô" is an adaptation of the French word, so the vehicle's name passed through colonial French into local speech. The plural "cyclos" is simply the usual English plural of "cyclo."

Synonyms: cycles, bicycles, motorcycles