Cyclops

American  

[sahy-klops] / ˈsaɪ klɒps /

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.

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cyclops ¹ British  

/ ˈsaɪklɒps /

noun

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

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Cyclops ² British  

/ 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

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Cyclops Cultural  

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.

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Etymology

Origin of Cyclops

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

Example Sentences

Cyclops blasts powerful energy beams from his eyes.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2024

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.

From Washington Times • Nov. 10, 2023

“So it is really valuable to understand that it still occurs in the Cyclops Mountains,” said Kristofer Helgen, a mammalogist and director of the Australian Museum Research Institute who wasn’t involved in the expedition.

From New York Times • Nov. 9, 2023

Combined with the biological findings, this geological work will help the team understand how the extraordinary biodiversity of the Cyclops came to be.

From Science Daily • Nov. 9, 2023

But the Cyclops just plucked out the shaft like a large splinter and kept advancing on me.

From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• behemoth
• titan