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cyclops
noun
cy·clops
ˈsī-ˌkläps
1
plural cyclopes
sī-ˈklō-(ˌ)pēz capitalized
: any of a race of giants in Greek mythology with a single eye in the middle of the forehead
2
plural cyclops
[New Latin, genus name, from Latin]
: any of a genus (Cyclops) of freshwater predatory copepods having a single median eye
Examples of cyclops in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sandberg wanted to populate the film with all sorts of monsters from mythology: minotaurs, cyclops, harpies, and… are those demonic unicorns?
—Devan Coggan, EW.com, 26 Jan. 2023
Fans will remember the catchphrases — lickety brindle, the golden ladder, cyclops.
—Bill Oram, oregonlive, 21 Jan. 2023
Jean-François Lesport and Antoine Heitz from the Natural History Museum Basel and Floréal Solé, a specialist in carnivorous mammals named the new specimen Tartarocyon, after a giant cyclops known in Basque mythology.
—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 15 June 2022
Flipping the crown also meant flipping the cyclops window from 3 o’clock to 9 o’clock, which looks wonderfully odd and eccentric.
—Carol Besler, Robb Report, 2 Aug. 2022
See all Example Sentences for cyclops
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cyclops.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Latin, from Greek Kyklōps, from kykl- cycl- + ōps eye
First Known Use
1513, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near cyclops
Cite this Entry
“Cyclops.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cyclops. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
cyclops
noun
cy·clops
ˈsī-ˌkläps
1
plural cyclopes
sī-ˈklō-ˌpēz capitalized
: one of a race of giants in Greek legend with a single eye in the middle of the forehead
2
plural cyclops
: a water flea with a single eye
Medical Definition
cyclops
noun
cy·clops
ˈsī-ˌkläps
1
plural cyclopes
sī-ˈklō-(ˌ)pēz
: an individual or fetus abnormal in having a single eye or the usual two orbits fused
2
capitalized
: a genus of minute free-swimming copepods that have a large median eye, a pear-shaped body tapering posteriorly, and long antennules used in swimming, that are widely distributed and abundant in fresh waters, that are important elements in certain aquatic food chains, and that directly affect humans as intermediate hosts of certain parasitic worms see guinea worm
3
plural cyclops
: a copepod water flea of the genus Cyclops
More from Merriam-Webster on cyclops
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cyclops
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