English dictionary — definitions & meanings

cyber

adj

Relating to computers, the internet, or digital technology.

cyberattack

noun

An attack or intrusion by means of a computer network such as the Internet, often for the purpose of spying.

cybercriminal

noun

A perpetrator of cybercrime.

cyberman

noun

A human intertwined with electronic components; often implies the result is more electronic than biological.

cybernetic

adj

Relating to cybernetics, the study of communication and automatic control in machines and living things.

cyberpunk

noun

A subgenre of science fiction which focuses on computer or information technology and virtual reality juxtaposed with a degree of breakdown or radical change in the social order.

cyberreal

adj

Synonym of virtual, existing on the internet (in cyberspace) but not in real life.

cyberself

noun

An alternate self on the Internet or in cyberspace; an online alter-ego.

cyberspace

noun

The virtual world of information and communication accessed through computer networks and the internet.

Cybill

name

A female given name, a 20th-century variant of Sybil.

cyborg

noun

A being that is part living organism and part machine.

cycle

noun

A series of events that repeats itself in the same order.

cyclic

adj

Characterized by, or moving in cycles, or happening at regular intervals; cyclical

cyclical

adj

Recurring at regular intervals.

cycling

noun

The activity or sport of riding a bicycle.

cyclist

noun

A person who rides a bicycle, either regularly or as a sport.

cycloalkane

noun

Any saturated alicyclic hydrocarbon.

cycloalkene

noun

Any unsaturated alicyclic hydrocarbon.

cyclohexane

noun

An alicyclic hydrocarbon, C₆H₁₂, consisting of a ring of six carbon atoms; a volatile liquid.

cyclohexatriene

noun

any molecule composed of a ring of 6 carbon atoms with 3 double bonds

cyclohexene

noun

A cyclic hydrocarbon containing six carbon atoms and one double bond; any of its derivatives.

cyclone

noun

A large storm system with winds rotating around a centre of low atmospheric pressure.

cyclopaedia

noun

The circle or compass of the arts and sciences (originally, of the seven so-called liberal arts and sciences); circle of human knowledge.

cyclopean

adj

Suggestive of a cyclops.

cyclops

noun

A giant with a single eye in the middle of its forehead, from Greek and Roman mythology.

cyclorama

noun

A panoramic image displayed on the inside of a cylindrical canvas.

cycnus

name

the name of multiple characters in Greek mythology

cydonia

name

Former name of Chania: a city on the island of Crete, Greece.

Cygnus

name

A constellation in the northern sky said to resemble a swan, containing the bright stars Deneb and Albireo.

cylinder

noun

A solid or hollow object with straight parallel sides and a circular cross-section, like a tube or a can.

cylindrical

adj

Shaped like a cylinder; having straight sides and a circular cross-section.

Cylon

name

A male given name of historical usage in Ancient Greece, notably Cylon of Athens, who attempted a coup in the 7th century BCE.

cymbal

noun

A round, flat metal plate that produces a sharp ringing crash when struck, used in drum kits and orchestras.

cymric

name

Synonym of Welsh, the language of the Welsh people.

Cyndi

name

A diminutive of the female given name Cynthia, a 20th-century variant spelling of Cindy.

cynegetic

adj

Of or relating to hunting (especially with dogs).

cynic

noun

A person who habitually expects the worst of people and doubts their sincerity or motives.

cynical

adj

Distrustful of people's sincerity, believing that self-interest is the real motive behind most actions.

cynicism

noun

A general distrust of people's sincerity, or the belief that self-interest drives most human behaviour.

Cynthia

name

A female given name of Ancient Greek origin, originally an epithet of the goddess Artemis.

cynthian

adj

Of or relating to Mount Cynthus.

cynthus

name

A mountain of Delos, famous in Greek mythology as the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis

Cypher

name

A surname of German origin.

cypress

noun

An evergreen conifer with dense, dark, scale-like foliage, often planted in rows or seen in cemeteries.

cyprian

name

Saint Cyprian, a 3rd-century bishop of Carthage, theologian, martyr, and saint

Cyprus

name

An island nation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, divided between Greek and Turkish Cypriot administration; capital Nicosia.

Cyril

name

A male given name of Ancient Greek origin, borne notably by a ninth-century missionary to the Slavs.

Cyrus

name

A male given name of Old Persian origin, most famously borne by Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire.

cyst

noun

A closed sac in the body, usually filled with fluid or other material, that forms within a tissue or organ.

cystic

adj

Relating to a cyst — an abnormal fluid-filled sac in the body.

cyte

noun

Synonym of cell (“quantity of protoplasm, containing a nucleus, enclosed within a cell membrane”).

cytoplasm

noun

The jelly-like material that fills a living cell between the outer membrane and the nucleus, holding the organelles in place and hosting most of the cell's chemical reactions.

cytosmear

noun

A sample of cells, in the form of a smear on a microscope slide, that has been stained ready for diagnostic examination

Czar

noun

An emperor of Russia before the 1917 revolution; more generally, an autocratic ruler.

Czech

adj

From, or relating to, the Czech Republic, its people, culture, or language.

Czechoslovak

noun

A person from Czechoslovakia, the former Central European country.

Czechoslovakia

noun

A former Central European country, now divided into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

czechoslovakian

adj

Of or pertaining to the former nation of Czechoslovakia.