cyclops

noun

cy·​clops ˈsī-ˌkläps How to pronounce cyclops (audio)
1
plural cyclopes sī-ˈklō-(ˌ)pēz How to pronounce cyclops (audio) 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 Graves won his first term with the backing of the Ku Klux Klan and was grand cyclops of the Klan in Montgomery, according to the Encyclopedia of Alabama. Mike Cason | McAson@al.com, al, 19 Apr. 2022 Splayed glowing falcon wings, neon changshans, gold chrome cyclops sunglasses and Tron-looking black leggings with electric blue panels; the metaverse dress code was futuristic chaos, and suddenly my freebie tiara wasn't cutting it. Leah Dolan, CNN, 30 Mar. 2022 The decision to honor Foster alongside a one-time KKK grand cyclops was criticized harshly by some. NBC News, 11 Feb. 2022 Ten years ago, Iris design agency produced two silver cyclops extra-terrestrials to usher in the London Games. Leah Dolan, CNN, 9 Feb. 2022

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of cyclops was in 1513

Dictionary Entries Near cyclops

Cite this Entry

“Cyclops.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cyclops. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cyclops

noun
cy·​clops ˈsī-ˌkläps How to pronounce cyclops (audio)
1
plural cyclopes sī-ˈklō-ˌpēz How to pronounce cyclops (audio) 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 How to pronounce cyclops (audio)
1
plural cyclopes sī-ˈklō-(ˌ)pēz How to pronounce cyclops (audio) : 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

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