epicycle

Fetched 2026-10-26 (cache).

Synonyms: bicycle, upcycle, dicycle, unicycle, epicyclic, tricycle, hemicycle, pericycle, epicoele, epicycles, epicyte

Antonyms: bicycle, upcycle, dicycle, unicycle, epicyclic, tricycle, hemicycle, pericycle, epicoele, epicycles, epicyte

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Noun

1. {{senseid|en|Q961202}} {{lb|en|astronomy}} A small [[circle]] whose centre is on the [[circumference]] of a larger circle; in Ptolemaic astronomy it was seen as the basis of revolution of the "seven planets", given a fixed central Earth.
2. {{lb|en|geometry}} Any circle whose circumference [[roll]]s around that of another circle, thus creating a [[hypocycloid]] or [[epicycloid]].
3. {{lb|en|organic chemistry}} A [[ring]] of [[atom]]s joining parts of an already [[cyclic]] compound
4. {{lb|en|figuratively}} An [[ad hoc]] [[complication]] added to a [[model]] to make it fit the known [[data]]

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wiktionary dump) · cached copy, not a rewrite.