Definitions

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

  • adjective Containing more than one kind of atom joined in a ring.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In chem., of a substance the molecule is believed to consist of a ring or continuous chain of atoms, containing in such a ring atoms of more than a single element. Thus the molecule of pyridine consists of a ring of six atoms consecutively united with each other, five of these atoms being of carbon and one of nitrogen (each carbon atom having also a hydrogen atom attached to it)—thus:

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

  • adjective organic chemistry Having one or more atoms other than carbon in at least one of its rings.
  • noun organic chemistry A heterocycle

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

  • noun a compound containing a heterocyclic ring
  • adjective containing a closed ring of atoms of which at least one is not a carbon atom

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

hetero- +‎ cyclic

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