ScienceAugust 26, 2026
polycyclic
pah-lee-SY-klik
Definition
Relating to a chemical compound structure consisting of two or more closed rings of atoms.
Etymology
Derived from the Greek prefix 'poly-' meaning many and the Greek word 'kyklikos' meaning circular or ring-like. It entered English in the 19th century to describe complex molecular structures.
In the news
The article uses the term to describe polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are specific types of pollutants that researchers are studying for potential degradation by soil bacteria.
A single teaspoon of soil from a healthy forest floor contains more living organisms — bacteria, fungi, protists, nematodes — than there are humans on Earth, and most of the species in that spoonful have never been named or described
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