life cycle

American  

noun

1. Biology. the continuous sequence of changes undergone by an organism from one primary form, as a gamete, to the development of the same form again.

2. a series of stages, as childhood and middle age, that characterize the course of existence of an individual, group, or culture.

3. any similar series of stages.

   the life cycle of a manufactured product.

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life cycle British  

noun

1. the series of changes occurring in an animal or plant between one development stage and the identical stage in the next generation

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life cycle Scientific  

1. The series of changes in the growth and development of an organism from its beginning as an independent life form to its mature state in which offspring are produced. In simple organisms, such as bacteria, the life cycle begins when an organism is produced by fission and ends when that organism in turn divides into two new ones. In organisms that reproduce sexually, the life cycle may be thought of as beginning with the fusion of reproductive cells to form a new organism. The cycle ends when that organism produces its own reproductive cells, which then begin the cycle again by undergoing fusion with other reproductive cells. The life cycles of plants, algae, and many protists often involve an alternation between a generation of organisms that reproduces sexually and another that reproduces asexually.

2. See more at alternation of generations

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Etymology

Origin of life cycle

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Among the issues to be worked out are emergency-response frameworks, including crew training; port security measures; and safe scrapping of ships at the end of their life cycle.

From The Wall Street Journal

When I turned 13, I entered a part of the life cycle cherished by all Jewish kids and dreaded by their parents.

From The Wall Street Journal

"It was so early in the life cycle of house music coming up from the underground. DJs loved it and all the gay clubs loved it - but there wasn't the media attention."

From BBC

For retail investors, the timeline of their investment life cycle is far more important than timing the market.

From MarketWatch

Like many butterfly species, the Marsh Fritillary is univoltine, meaning it produces just a single brood of offspring in its year-long life cycle.

From BBC

Related Words

• biological clock