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cycloid

 - 6 dictionary results

cy⋅cloid

[sahy-kloid]
–adjective
1. resembling a circle; circular.
2. (of the scale of a fish) smooth-edged, more or less circular in form, and having concentric striations.
3. (of a fish) having such scales.
4. Psychiatry. of or noting a personality type characterized by wide fluctuation in mood within the normal range.
–noun
5. a cycloid fish.
6. Geometry. a curve generated by a point on the circumference of a circle that rolls, without slipping, on a straight line.

Origin:
1655–65; < Gk kykloeids like a circle. See cycl-, -oid


cy⋅cloi⋅dal, adjective
cy⋅cloi⋅dal⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To cycloid
cy·cloid   (sī'kloid')   


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adj.  
  1. Resembling a circle.

  2. Zoology

    1. Thin, rounded, and smooth-edged; disklike. Used of fish scales.

    2. Having or composed of such scales.

  3. Psychiatry Afflicted with or relating to cyclothymia.

n.  
  1. Mathematics The curve traced by a point on the circumference of a circle that rolls on a straight line.

  2. Zoology A fish having cycloid scales.


[French cycloïde, from Greek kukloeidēs, circular : kuklos, circle; see kwel-1 in Indo-European roots + -oeidēs, -oid.]
cy·cloi'dal (-kloid'l) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1cy·cloid
Pronunciation: 'sI-"kloid
Function: noun
: a cycloid individual

Main Entry: 2cycloid
Function: adjective
: relating to, having, or being a personality characterized by alternating high and low moods —compare CYCLOTHYMIC
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Science Dictionary
cycloid   (sī'kloid')  Pronunciation Key 


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  1. Resembling a circle.

  2. Thin, rounded, and smooth-edged, like a disk. Used of fish scales.

  3. The curve traced by a point on the circumference of a circle that rolls on a straight line.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia

cycloid

the curve generated by a point on the circumference of a circle that rolls along a straight line. If r is the radius of the circle and theta (theta) is the angular displacement of the circle, then the polar equations of the curve are x = r(theta - sin theta) and y = r(1 - cos theta)

Learn more about cycloid with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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