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Glite Dictionary
cycloidal

cycloidal

1 9.9
Shaped like a curved path made by a circle rolling along a line
  • adjective
  • /saɪˈklɔɪdəl/
  • Specialized
: ciclóide
  • The water in the fountain flowed in a cycloidal pattern, creating beautiful arcs that captivated the onlookers.

Examples

  • The artist used a cycloidal design in her sculpture, featuring smooth curves that resembled a series of interconnected circles.

  • Theory and experiment agree that the droplet rolls down with a constant shape, almost like a solid sphere, in a rolling or cycloidal motion.

    Academic text (2006)

  • They move laterally with small cycloidal paths because of any residual space-charge fields perpendicular to the magnetic field.

    Academic text (2006)

  • In mathematics, a graph that represents a cycloidal motion shows a series of wave-like curves similar to rolling wheels.

Synonyms

circular
vscycloidal
74 2.8

Having the shape of a circle

focuses on arc features and specific curve shape not general roundness
cycloid
vscycloidal
1 9.1

Round in shape like a wheel

resembles only a circular arc rather than a full circle

How Circular

circular
74 2.8
cycloidal
  • Specialized
1 9.9
curved
50 1.0
angular
17 3.8

Surface Forms

cycloidal positive

Morphology

cycloidal = cycloid (semi-transparent) = cycloid + al

The adjective is transparently formed from the technical base 'cycloid' plus '-al', but the specialized mathematical sense may not be fully inferable for all learners.

Etymology

Cycloidal comes from the Greek root cycl- meaning 'circle' and the ending -oid meaning 'like' or 'shape'. You can see the same cycl- in cycle and bicycle, so cycloidal simply means 'circle-like' and is used for arches, paths, or shapes that look like part of a circle.