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Glite Dictionary
acyclic

acyclic

8.8
Not forming a ring or closed loop, often describing molecules with open chains
  • adjective
  • /eɪˈsɪklɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : acíclico
  • The chemist explained that an acyclic compound does not form a ring structure, making it different from cyclic compounds.
  • acyclic graph

Then we had special types of graphs, directed graphs, directed acyclic graphs that we could use.

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Examples

  • Diagrams like the one lemma has drawn are called directed acyclic graphs.

  • So DAG stands for directed acyclic graphs.

  • The guess might be this bit of code needs an acyclic linked list in order to run without producing a crash.

    Computerphile

  • Groups also inherit the directed and acyclic dependencies.

    Academic text (2018)

  • Acyclic exercises, in which the structure of movements has no stereotyped cycle and changes while they are done, chiefly affect the function of the locomotor system.

    Academic text (1996)

  • The dependency graph is structured as a directed acyclic graph (DAG) in static single assignment (SSA) form.

    Academic text (2018)

  • In her research, she focused on acyclic molecules, which are essential in creating certain types of polymers.

  • An acyclic structure allows for more flexibility in molecular movement compared to a closed-loop configuration.

Synonyms

aliphatic
vsacyclic
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Made of carbon atoms joined in open chains, not in rings

is more general, applying to open chains beyond just carbon chemistry
open-chain
vsacyclic
  • Specialized
7.2

A molecule with a chain of atoms that does not form a ring

is the same chemical sense but presented as a concise technical adjective
open chain
vsacyclic
  • Specialized
7.2

A chain of atoms in a molecule whose ends do not join to make a ring

is the shorter technical label typically used for the same molecular idea
noncyclic
vsacyclic
7.6

Not forming a cycle or returning to its original state

is the focused chemical term that highlights absence of molecular rings
noncircular
vsacyclic
4.9

Not shaped like a circle or repeating in a loop

is specific to absence of rings in molecules rather than general round shapes
noncyclical
vsacyclic
7.2

Not happening in regular cycles

refers instead to lack of physical ring structures, not temporal repetition

Antonyms

cyclic
  • Specialized
1 6.8

Has atoms joined in a ring shape

How Cyclic

polycyclic
  • Specialized
1 8.2
bicyclic
  • Specialized
9.5
monocyclic
  • Specialized
9.1
acyclic
  • Specialized
8.8

Surface Forms

acyclic positive

Morphology

acyclic = cyclic (semi-transparent) = a + cycl + ic

For learners who know 'cyclic', the meaning 'not cyclic' is clear, but the negative scientific prefix 'a-' is less familiar than everyday prefixes like 'un-'.

Etymology

Acyclic comes from the prefix a- meaning 'not' and cycle meaning 'circle', the same cycle you see in bicycle. So acyclic means 'not circular' and is used for molecules or things that do not form a ring but have an open chain.