Cyclic

How to spell cyclic

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce cyclic

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does cyclic mean?

1. adjectiveOccurring in repeated cycles or at regular recurring intervals.
2. adjectiveDescribing a molecule whose atoms are arranged in a closed ring.

Cyclic in a sentence

• The company's sales follow a cyclic pattern that peaks every December.

• Benzene is a cyclic compound with six carbon atoms forming a ring.

• Unemployment in the region is largely cyclic, rising and falling with the seasons.

• The chemistry exam asked students to identify cyclic structures among the diagrams.

Where does cyclic come from?

Language of origin: Greek

The word descends from the Greek kyklos, which literally meant a circle or a wheel, the same root that gives us 'cycle' and 'bicycle'. The Greeks formed the adjective kyklikos, meaning 'moving in a circle' or 'recurring', and Latin borrowed this as cyclicus. From there French shaped it into cyclique, and English adopted the form 'cyclic' in the early 1600s to describe anything that happens in repeating rounds. The spelling keeps both the 'c' and the 'y' of the Greek original, which is the usual trap: writers know it sounds like 'sigh-klik' yet hesitate over whether the first vowel is 'y' or 'i'. The same kyklos also underlies 'encyclopedia', literally a circle of learning, a useful reminder that the 'cy' belongs at the front.

How the word is built

• cycl- (from Greek kyklos: circle, wheel)
• -ic (adjective suffix)