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acyclic

acyclic

1 8.8
Not forming a ring or closed loop, often describing molecules with open chains
  • adjective
  • /eɪˈsɪklɪk/
  • Specialized
: 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.

  • 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
noncyclical
vsacyclic
1 7.2

Not happening in regular cycles

refers instead to lack of physical ring structures, not temporal repetition
noncircular
vsacyclic
1 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
noncyclic
vsacyclic
1 7.6

Not forming a cycle or returning to its original state

is the focused chemical term that highlights absence of molecular rings
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

Antonyms

cyclic
  • Specialized
1 6.8

Has atoms joined in a ring shape

How Cyclic

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