cycle

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A set of events that happen again and again in the same order.

   The washing machine runs through a full cycle in about an hour.

2. 2
   noun

   A period of time in which a regular series of events is completed once.

   The cycle of the seasons brings warm summers and cold winters.

3. 3
   verb

   To pass through a repeating series of stages.

   The heating system cycles on and off throughout the night.

4. 4
   verb

   To ride a bicycle.

   She cycles to work every morning to stay fit.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Cycle entered English in the late Middle English period from Greek kuklos, meaning “circle.” Kuklos belongs to the same ancient word history as wheel, whose name was probably based on a word meaning “to turn.”

From Middle English cicle (“fixed length period of years”), from Late Latin cyclus, from Ancient Greek κύκλος (kúklos, “circle”), from Proto-Hellenic *kúklos, *kʷókʷlos, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷékʷlos (“circle, wheel”). Doublet of chakra, chakram, charkha, chukker, cyclus, kike, and wheel (see there for more).

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary