cyclic

[ sahy-klik, sik-lik ]

adjective

1. revolving or recurring in cycles; characterized by recurrence in cycles.
2. of, relating to, or constituting a cycle or cycles.
3. Chemistry. of or relating to a compound that contains a closed chain or ring of atoms ( acyclic ).
4. Botany.
   1. arranged in whorls, as the parts of a flower.
   2. (of a flower) having the parts so arranged.
5. Mathematics.
   1. pertaining to an algebraic system in which all the elements of a group are powers of one element.
   2. (of a set of elements) arranged as if on a circle, so that the first element follows the last.

cyclic

/ ˈsaɪklɪkəl; ˈsɪklɪkəl; ˈsɪklɪk; ˈsaɪklɪk /

adjective

1. recurring or revolving in cycles
2. See homocyclic, heterocyclic
   (of an organic compound) containing a closed saturated or unsaturated ring of atoms See also heterocyclic homocyclic
3. botany
   1. arranged in whorls

      cyclic petals

   2. having parts arranged in this way

      cyclic flowers

4. music of or relating to a musical form consisting of several movements sharing thematic material
5. geometry (of a polygon) having vertices that lie on a circle
6. (in generative grammar) denoting one of a set of transformational rules all of which must apply to a clause before any one of them applies to any clause in which the first clause is embedded

cyclic

/ sĭk′lĭk,sī′klĭk /

1. Occurring or moving in cycles.
2. Relating to a compound having atoms arranged in a ring or closed-chain structure. Benzene is a cyclic compound.
3. Having parts arranged in a whorl.

Derived Forms

• ˈcyclically, adverb

Other Words From

• cy·clic·i·ty [sahy-, klis, -i-tee], noun
• non·cyclic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cyclic¹

1785–95; < Latin cyclicus < Greek kyklikós circular. See cycle, -ic

Example Sentences

Turner riffed for a while on phenology, the study of cyclic and seasonal phenomena, and the ecophilosopher Paul Shepard, who claimed it was “what the mature naturalist finally comes to…a deeper understanding and a more refined sense of mystery.”

From Outside Online

Botanists have long studied what governs the timing of tree’s cyclic processes, also called their phenology.

From Popular-Science

We put a moratorium on cyclic steam fracking a number of months ago.

From ProPublica

As the news organizations reported last week, over the past two decades, petroleum companies have earned millions harvesting oil from spills, many linked to cyclic steaming.

From ProPublica

Nearly half of the oil in the state is produced from cyclic steaming, according to a University of California, Berkeley, report issued in April.

From ProPublica

The difficulty is the greater if the Cyclic poems were long poems, with one author to each Epic.

From Project Gutenberg

It is in the Cyclic poems that we should naturally seek for materials to enlarge, expound, or correct Homer.

From Project Gutenberg

Heyne holds even the commencement of the Cyclic poems to have been at least a century after the date of the Iliad and Odyssey.

From Project Gutenberg

In the mountains precipitation is heavier and somewhat more evenly distributed throughout the year, but still definitely cyclic.

From Project Gutenberg

The selenium atom in a cyclic compound also acts like an auxochrome.

From Project Gutenberg