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Glite Dictionary
epicyclical

epicyclical

9.9
Having a small wheel that turns around a larger wheel
  • adjective
  • /ˌɛpɪˈsaɪklɪkəl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : epicíclico
  • His project used epicyclical gears to enhance the efficiency of the mechanical system.

Examples

  • The planet follows an epicyclical path as it rotates around the larger sun.

  • Each year, the Earth makes a little oval, epicyclical orbit inside the cavity, passing closest to its trailing edge around September or October.

    Academic text (1994)

  • Astronomers studied the epicyclical motion of the planets to better understand their orbits.

Synonyms

epicyclic
vsepicyclical
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A system where a small circle moves around a larger circle, used in gears and planet models

is a general term for such patterns across mechanics and astronomy

Surface Forms

epicyclical positive

Morphology

epicyclical = epicyclic (transparent) = epi + cycle + ic + al

The relation between epicyclic and epicyclical is a regular adjectival extension (‑al) and preserves the meaning 'relating to an epicycle'.

Etymology

Epicyclical comes from Greek parts epi- meaning 'on' or 'upon' and cycle meaning 'circle', the same 'cycle' you see in bicycle. Imagine a small circle turning on top of a larger circle — that 'epicycle' image helps you remember that epicyclical describes motion or gear systems where little circles move on bigger ones, which is why the word is used in astronomy and engineering today.