Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, or characterized by cycles.
  • adjective Recurring or moving in cycles.
  • adjective Chemistry Of or relating to compounds having atoms arranged in a ring or closed-chain structure.
  • adjective Having parts arranged in a whorl.
  • adjective Forming a whorl.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In chem., containing a cycle or ring.
  • In botany, arranged in whorls: said of the stamens, petals, etc., in a flower; also, having the parts so arranged: said of the flower; cyclical.
  • In geometry, having its vertices all on the same circle: thus, if a quadrilateral has its vortices concyclic it is cyclic.
  • Pertaining to or moving in a cycle or circle; specifically, governed by a regular law of variation, according to which the final and initial terms of the series of changes or states are identical.
  • Connected with a literary cycle: specifically applied to certain ancient Greek poets (sometimes inclusive of Homer) who wrote on the Trojan war and the adventures of the heroes connected with it. See cycle, 5.
  • In ancient metrics, delivered more rapidly than usual, so as to occupy only three times or moræ instead of four: used to note certain dactyls and anapests. Thus, a cyclic dactyl is equivalent in time to a trochee, and a cyclic anapest to an iambus.
  • noun A cyclic poem.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to a cycle or circle; moving in cycles.
  • adjective (Chemistry) Having atoms bonded to form a ring structure. Opposite of acyclic.
  • adjective Recurring in cycles{2}; having a pattern that repeats at approximately equal intervals; periodic. Opposite of noncyclic.
  • adjective Marked by repeated cycles{2}.
  • adjective the chorus which performed the songs and dances of the dithyrambic odes at Athens, dancing round the altar of Bacchus in a circle.
  • adjective certain epic poets who followed Homer, and wrote merely on the Trojan war and its heroes; -- so called because keeping within the circle of a single subject. Also, any series or coterie of poets writing on one subject.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Characterized by, or moving in cycles, or happening at regular intervals
  • adjective chemistry Of a compound having chains of atoms arranged in a ring
  • adjective botany Having parts arranged in a whorl
  • adjective mathematics, of a group being generated by only one element
  • adjective geometry able to be inscribed in a circle

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective forming a whorl or having parts arranged in a whorl
  • adjective of a compound having atoms arranged in a ring structure
  • adjective recurring in cycles
  • adjective conforming to the Carnot cycle
  • adjective marked by repeated cycles

Etymologies

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Examples

  • There is just so much evidence of long- and short-term cyclic temperature variations being well-correlated to solar activity, that CO2 seems like a trivial pursuit.

    Letter to NAS « Climate Audit 2006

  • The system is key to Tepco's plan of achieving a so-called "cyclic injection" of water into reactors, in which cooling water is recycled.

    Decontamination System Set to Restart at Tepco Daiichi Plant Mitsuru Obe 2011

  • The system is key to Tepco's plan of achieving a so-called "cyclic injection" of water into reactors, in which cooling water is recycled.

    Decontamination System Set to Restart at Tepco Daiichi Plant Mitsuru Obe 2011

  • The system is key to Tepco's plan of achieving a so-called "cyclic injection" of water into reactors, in which cooling water is recycled.

    Decontamination System Set to Restart at Tepco Daiichi Plant Mitsuru Obe 2011

  • By concentrating on selflessness you will overcome ingrained misunderstanding of the nature of people and things, which is the root of the round of repeated birth, aging, sickness, and death what Buddhists call cyclic existence, and you will attain liberation from suffering.

    Becoming Enlightened Dalai Lama 2009

  • By concentrating on selflessness you will overcome ingrained misunderstanding of the nature of people and things, which is the root of the round of repeated birth, aging, sickness, and death what Buddhists call cyclic existence, and you will attain liberation from suffering.

    Becoming Enlightened Dalai Lama 2009

  • Instead we use what is called a cyclic development model.

    Think Progress » ThinkFast AM: June 6, 2006 2006

  • Most cladocerans reproduce both parthenogenetically and sexually, employing a breeding system termed cyclic parthenogenesis.

    Crustacea 2008

  • In all areas of spiritual development, no matter what your level is, you need both analysis and focus to achieve the states you are seeking, ranging from seeking a better future, to developing conviction in the cause and effect of actions karma, to developing an intention to leave the round of suffering called cyclic existence, to cultivating love and compassion, to realizing the true nature of people and things.

    How to See Yourself As You Really Are Dalai Lama 2006

  • In all areas of spiritual development, no matter what your level is, you need both analysis and focus to achieve the states you are seeking, ranging from seeking a better future, to developing conviction in the cause and effect of actions karma, to developing an intention to leave the round of suffering called cyclic existence, to cultivating love and compassion, to realizing the true nature of people and things.

    How to See Yourself As You Really Are Dalai Lama 2006

Comments

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  • Citation on nympho.

    June 22, 2008

  • Quadrilaterals can be cyclic.

    February 9, 2011