Cyclic
adj, noun ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 The flight control used to control a helicopter's direction and rate of horizontal movement by tilting the lift vector of the helicopter's main rotor disk.
- 1 Characterized by, or moving in cycles, or happening at regular intervals; cyclical
"The weather had a cyclic pattern of rain and sun."
- 2 Having chains of atoms arranged in a ring.
"Benzene and cyclohexane are both cyclic compounds."
- 3 Having parts arranged in a whorl.
- 4 Being generated by only one element.
- 5 Able to be inscribed in a circle.
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- 6 Firing at its full cyclic rate.
"On it came, closer and closer, and as it did so it became clear that the pilot, if he was alive, had terminal intentions. Though the torpedo somehow missed, the plane itself did not. To those watching helplessly from other stations, the ship's antiaircraft gunners, in their final moments, were an inspiration: eyes focused through iron sights on the plane as it sped at them, weapons hot, going cyclic, hunched down and never flinching until the Betty struck high on the mainmast, killing them all."
- 1 recurring in cycles wordnet
- 2 of a compound having atoms arranged in a ring structure wordnet
- 3 forming a whorl or having parts arranged in a whorl wordnet
- 4 marked by repeated cycles wordnet
- 5 conforming to the Carnot cycle wordnet
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"In helicopters, the cyclic controls the tilt of the main rotor, producing pitch and roll."
Etymology
From French cyclique or its etymon Classical Latin cyclicus, from Ancient Greek κυκλικός (kuklikós). By surface analysis, cycle + -ic. Piecewise doublet of chakric.
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.