monocyclic

[ mon-uh-sahy-klik, -sik-lik ]

adjective
  1. having one cycle.

  2. Botany. arranged in a single whorl, as the parts of certain flowers.

  1. Chemistry. of or relating to a molecular structure containing one ring.

Origin of monocyclic

1
First recorded in 1880–85; mono- + cyclic

Other words from monocyclic

  • mon·o·cy·cly, noun

Words Nearby monocyclic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for monocyclic

monocyclic

/ (ˌmɒnəʊˈsaɪklɪk) /


adjective
  1. Also: mononuclear (of a chemical compound) containing only one ring of atoms

  2. (of sepals, petals, or stamens) arranged in a single whorl

  1. (of a plant) having a life cycle that is completed in one year

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for monocyclic

monocyclic

[ mŏn′ə-sīklĭk, -sĭklĭk ]


  1. Having a single cycle, as of activity or development.

  2. Having a single whorl, as certain flowers and the shells of certain invertebrates.

  1. Having a molecular structure with only one ring. Benzene and toluene are monocyclic molecules.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.