cyclic

Etymology

It is borrowed from French cyclique, recorded in French from the 16th century,^[2][3][4] or directly borrowed from Latin cyclicus,^[2][5][6] from Ancient Greek κυκλικός (kuklikós, “circular, moving in a circle”),^[2][4][3] from κύκλος (kúklos, “circle, wheel; circular motion, cycle of events”),^[2][3] the source of cycle.^[3][4] Etymonline derives the Greek noun from a reduplicated form of Proto-Indo-European *kʷel- (“to revolve, move round”),^[3] and Merriam-Webster relates it to wheel.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of or relating to a cycle; revolving or recurring in cycles: 1794, in R. J. Sulivan's View of Nature.^[2][3][5]

Semantic evolution

From before 1822, in Shelley, it was used of a cycle of mythic and heroic stories, the cyclic poets being the writers of the Greek epic cycle;^[2][3] in 1860 it was applied to the shared tradition behind the Synoptic Gospels.^[2] The 19th century brought technical senses in Greek prosody (1844), in botany, of flowers with their parts in whorls (1875), in algebra, of a group whose elements are all powers of one element (1889), and in chemistry, of compounds with rings of atoms (1898).^[2] In aeronautics, cyclic pitch control (1944) steers a helicopter by changing the angle of the rotor blades as they turn,^[2] and the control itself is called a cyclic.^[5]

Timeline

• 1794 – revolving or recurring in cycles.^[2][3][5]
• before 1822 – belonging to a cycle of myth and heroic story.^[2][3]
• 1838 – belonging to a definite chronological cycle.^[2]
• 1844 – in Greek prosody, of a shortened dactyl or anapaest.^[2]
• 1875 – in botany, having the parts arranged in whorls.^[2]
• 1889 – in algebra, of a group generated by one element.^[2]
• 1898 – in chemistry, having a ring of atoms.^[2]
• 1944 – cyclic pitch control, in helicopters.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Occurring or moving in cycles; recurring at regular intervals: the cyclic return of drought.^[7][5][2]
2. Of or belonging to a cycle of poems, stories or other works.^[5][2]
3. (chemistry) Of an organic compound, having a closed ring of atoms in its molecule.^[7][2]
4. (botany) Of a flower or its parts, arranged in whorls.^[7][2]
5. (music) Of a work in several movements, sharing thematic material between them.^[7]
6. (geometry) Of a polygon, having all its vertices on one circle.^[7]
7. (mathematics) Of a group, having every element a power of one generating element.^[2]
8. (prosody) Of a dactyl or anapaest, having a shortened time value.^[5][2]

Noun

1. A cyclic chemical compound.^[5]
2. The control in a helicopter that changes the pitch of each rotor blade as it turns, steering the craft horizontally.^[5][2]

Word family

• cyclicality
• cyclically
• cyclicity
• alicyclic
• bicyclic
• carbocyclic
• concyclic
• cyclical

Related words

• cycle
• bicycle
• encyclical
• wheel
• acyclic

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ a b c d e Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins