cycle

[ sahy-kuhl ]

noun

1. any complete round or series of occurrences that repeats or is repeated.
2. a round of years or a recurring period of time, especially one in which certain events or phenomena repeat themselves in the same order and at the same intervals.
3. any long period of years; age.
4. a bicycle, motorcycle, tricycle, etc.
5. a group of poems, dramas, prose narratives, songs etc., about a central theme, figure, or the like:

   the Arthurian cycle.

6. Physics.
   1. a sequence of changing states that, upon completion, produces a final state identical to the original one.
   2. one of a succession of periodically recurring events.
   3. a complete alteration in which a phenomenon attains a maximum and minimum value, returning to a final value equal to the original one.
7. Mathematics. a permutation of a set of elements that leaves the original cyclic order of the elements unchanged.
8. Computers.
   1. the smallest interval of time required to complete an operation in a computer.
   2. a series of computer operations repeated as a unit.

verb (used without object)

, cy·cled, cy·cling.

1. to ride or travel by bicycle, motorcycle, tricycle, etc.
2. to move or revolve in cycles; pass through cycles.

cycle

/ ˈsaɪkəl /

noun

1. a recurring period of time in which certain events or phenomena occur and reach completion or repeat themselves in a regular sequence
2. a completed series of events that follows or is followed by another series of similar events occurring in the same sequence
3. the time taken or needed for one such series
4. a vast period of time; age; aeon
5. a group of poems or prose narratives forming a continuous story about a central figure or event

   the Arthurian cycle

6. a series of miracle plays

   the Chester cycle

7. See song cycle
   a group or sequence of songs See song cycle
8. See motorcycle, tricycle, bicycle
   short for bicycle tricycle motorcycle
9. astronomy the orbit of a celestial body
10. a recurrent series of events or processes in plants and animals

    a growth cycle

    a life cycle

    a metabolic cycle

11. physics a continuous change or a sequence of changes in the state of a system that leads to the restoration of the system to its original state after a finite period of time
12. one of a series of repeated changes in the magnitude of a periodically varying quantity, such as current or voltage
13. computing
    1. a set of operations that can be both treated and repeated as a unit
    2. the time required to complete a set of operations
    3. one oscillation of the regular voltage waveform used to synchronize processes in a digital computer
14. (in generative grammar) the set of cyclic rules

verb

1. tr to process through a cycle or system
2. intr to move in or pass through cycles
3. to travel by or ride a bicycle or tricycle

cycle

/ sī′kəl /

1. A single complete execution of a periodically repeated phenomenon.
2. See also period
3. A circular or whorled arrangement of flower parts such as those of petals or stamens.

Derived Forms

• ˈcycling, nounadjective

Other Words From

• super·cycle noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cycle¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cicle, from Late Latin cyclus, from Greek kýklos “cycle, circle, wheel, ring, disk, orb”; wheel

Word History and Origins

Origin of cycle¹

C14: from Late Latin cyclus, from Greek kuklos cycle, circle, ring, wheel; see wheel

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. hit for the cycle, Baseball. (of one player) to hit a single, double, triple, and home run in one game.

Example Sentences

For years, brands and agencies were caught in a self-defeating cycle, where agencies didn’t pitch gaming ideas to brands because they assumed brands didn’t know what to do with them.

From Digiday

Oftentimes, you can soak your clothing, linen, or other fabrics in a pre-soak cycle, wash, and then enjoy the fresh-scented and stain-free result.

From Popular-Science

This is just the latest flashpoint in a cycle of delayed elections, public frustration and fraying political legitimacy in the impoverished Caribbean nation.

From Axios

Our bodies groove to the familiar rhythms of heartbeats and breaths — persistent cycles essential to survival.

From Quanta Magazine

This cycle of defensiveness and shame can make it harder to parent in that moment.

From Washington Post

It almost mirrors the Buddhist cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

From The Daily Beast

Eventually, the mistletoe bush grows, blooms, and forms berries, and the cycle begins anew.

From The Daily Beast

The Newsroom aired its final episode on Sunday, already an eternity ago in news-cycle terms.

From The Daily Beast

To break her self-destructive cycle and heal, she decides to hike 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail solo.

From The Daily Beast

Especially given that we just spent almost $4 billion during the 2013-14 election cycle?

From The Daily Beast

The sexual cycle can take place only within the body of one genus of mosquito, anopheles.

From Project Gutenberg

Here they enter red corpuscles as young malarial parasites, and the majority pass through the asexual cycle just described.

From Project Gutenberg

Still hanging to Clip's canteen, he jerked the motor-cycle away from the bushes, got into the saddle, and started the pedals.

From Project Gutenberg

Matt went down, with the motor-cycle on top of him, head and shoulders over the brink of the precipice.

From Project Gutenberg

Matt had come to a quick stop, disengaging his right foot from the toe-clip and bracing the motor-cycle upright.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• course
• period
• revolution
• rhythm
• round
• series