Definition: cycle
cycle
n 1: an interval during which a recurring sequence of events
occurs; "the neverending cycle of the seasons" [syn: rhythm,
round]
2: a series of poems or songs on the same theme: "schubert's
song cycles"
3: a periodically repeated sequence of events: "a cycle of
reprisal and retaliation"
4: the unit of frequency; one Hertz has a periodic interval of
one second [syn: Hertz, Hz, cycle per second, cycles/second,
cps]
5: a single complete execution of a periodically repeated
phenomenon: "a year constitutes a cycle of the seasons"
6: a shortened version of `bicycle' or `tricycle' or
`motorcycle'
v 1: cause to go through a cycle
2: pass through a cycle; "This machine automatically cycles"
3: ride a motorcycle [syn: motorcycle]
4: ride a bicycle [syn: bicycle, bike, pedal, wheel]
5: recur in cycles
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Cycle \Cy"cle\, n.
(a) (Thermodynamics) A series of operations in which heat is
imparted to (or taken away from) a working substance
which by its expansion gives up a part of its internal
energy in the form of mechanical work (or being
compressed increases its internal energy) and is again
brought back to its original state.
(b) (Elec.) A complete positive and negative wave of an
alternating current; one period. The number of cycles
(per second) is a measure of the frequency of an
alternating current.
Cycle \Cy"cle\ (s?"k'l), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Cycled. (-k'ld); p. pr. & vb. n. Cycling (-kl?ng).] 1. To pass through a cycle of changes; to recur in cycles. --Tennyson. Darwin. 2. To ride a bicycle, tricycle, or other form of cycle.
Cycle \Cy"cle\ (s?"k'l), n. [F. ycle, LL. cyclus, fr. Gr. ky`klos ring or circle, cycle; akin to Skr. cakra wheel, circle. See Wheel.] 1. An imaginary circle or orbit in the heavens; one of the celestial spheres. --Milton. 2. An interval of time in which a certain succession of events or phenomena is completed, and then returns again and again, uniformly and continually in the same order; a periodical space of time marked by the recurrence of something peculiar; as, the cycle of the seasons, or of the year. Wages . . . bear a full proportion . . . to the medium of provision during the last bad cycle of twenty years. --Burke. 3. An age; a long period of time. Better fifty years of Europe than a cycle of Cathay. --Tennyson. 4. An orderly list for a given time; a calendar. [Obs.] We . . . present our gardeners with a complete cycle of what is requisite to be done throughout every month of the year. --Evelyn. 5. The circle of subjects connected with the exploits of the hero or heroes of some particular period which have served as a popular theme for poetry, as the legend of Arthur and the knights of the Round Table, and that of Charlemagne and his paladins. 6. (Bot.) One entire round in a circle or a spire; as, a cycle or set of leaves. --Gray. 7. A bicycle or tricycle, or other light velocipede. Calippic cycle, a period of 76 years, or four Metonic cycles; -- so called from Calippus, who proposed it as an improvement on the Metonic cycle. Cycle of eclipses, a period of about 6,586 days, the time of revolution of the moon's node; -- called Saros by the Chaldeans.
Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (2003-OCT-10)
cycle <unit> A basic unit of computation, one period of a computer clock. Each instruction takes a number of clock cycles. Often the computer can access its memory once on every clock cycle, and so one speaks also of "memory cycles". Every hacker wants more cycles (noted hacker Bill Gosper describes himself as a "cycle junkie"). There are only so many cycles per second, and when you are sharing a computer the cycles get divided up among the users. The more cycles the computer spends working on your program rather than someone else's, the faster your program will run. That's why every hacker wants more cycles: so he can spend less time waiting for the computer to respond. The use of the term "cycle" for a computer clock period can probably be traced back to the rotation of a generator generating alternating current though computers generally use a clock signal which is more like a square wave. Interestingly, the earliest mechanical calculators, e.g. Babbage's Difference Engine, really did have parts which rotated in true cycles. [Jargon File] (1997-09-30)
Source: Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001)
cycle 1. n. The basic unit of computation. What every hacker wants more of (noted hacker Bill Gosper described himself as a "cycle junkie"). One can describe an instruction as taking so many `clock cycles'. Often the computer can access its memory once on every clock cycle, and so one speaks also of `memory cycles'. These are technical meanings of cycle. The jargon meaning comes from the observation that there are only so many cycles per second, and when you are sharing a computer the cycles get divided up among the users. The more cycles the computer spends working on your program rather than someone else's, the faster your program will run. That's why every hacker wants more cycles: so he can spend less time waiting for the computer to respond. 2. By extension, a notional unit of _human_ thought power, emphasizing that lots of things compete for the typical hacker's think time. "I refused to get involved with the Rubik's Cube back when it was big. Knew I'd burn too many cycles on it if I let myself." 3. vt. Syn. bounce (sense 4), 120 reset; from the phrase `cycle power'. "Cycle the machine again, that serial port's still hung."
