Cyclops

[sahy-klops]

noun

plural

Cyclopes 

1. Classical Mythology.,  a member of a family of giants having a single round eye in the middle of the forehead.

2. (lowercase),  a freshwater copepod of the genus Cyclops, having a median eye in the front of the head.

Cyclops

¹

/ ˈsaɪklɒps /

noun

1. classical myth one of a race of giants having a single eye in the middle of the forehead, encountered by Odysseus in the Odyssey See also Polyphemus

cyclops

²

/ ˈsaɪklɒps /

noun

1. any copepod of the genus Cyclops, characterized by having one eye

Cyclops

1. plur. Cyclopes One-eyed giants in classical mythology. One Cyclops imprisoned Odysseus and his men during their voyage back to Greece after the Trojan War (see also Trojan War). Odysseus managed to trick the Cyclops and put out his eye. Odysseus and his men were then able to escape.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Cyclops¹

< Greek Kýklōps, literally, round-eye, equivalent to kýkl ( os ) a circle, round + ṓps eye

Word History and Origins

Origin of Cyclops¹

C15: from Latin Cyclōps, from Greek Kuklōps, literally: round eye, from kuklos circle + ōps eye

Example Sentences

“For some, a war becomes home,” he says at one point, his line readings so pungent you’ll barely miss the excitement of a Cyclops or a Calypso.

Read more on New York Times

Cyclops blasts powerful energy beams from his eyes.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Alongside searching for the echidna, the expedition carried out the first comprehensive assessment of invertebrate, reptile, amphibian, and mammal life in the Cyclops Mountains.

Read more on Science Daily

Using cameras placed in the Cyclops Mountains in Indonesia’s West Papua province, the researchers captured it on video for the first time, proving it had not gone extinct.

Read more on Washington Times

Previous expeditions to the Cyclops Mountains had uncovered signs, such as 'nose pokes' in the ground, that the Attenborough echidna was still living there.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• behemoth 
• titan