Word part · Greek root
Cycl root words: meaning and 18 examples
In short
The Greek root cycl (from Greek) means "circle, or wheel". It is also spelled cycle. Words with it include recycle, recycles, recycled, recycling, recyclable and cycles. Written cycle when it stands alone or ends a word, and cycl before some vowel suffixes: cyclic.
- Part
- cycl
- Meaning
- circle, or wheel
- Origin
- Greek
- Also spelled
- cycle
- Words listed
- 18
Written cycle when it stands alone or ends a word, and cycl before some vowel suffixes: cyclic. The y is the Greek spelling of a vowel sound.
Words with the Greek root cycl
The list runs from shorter, common words to longer ones. The bands are a rough guide built from syllable count and how common each word is in our word list, not a grade-level standard. Read each word, then its word sum.
Colors:prefixroot or basesuffix
Start here: short, common words (about grades 3 and 4)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| cycles | cycle (root or base)+s (suffix)→cycles | more than one cycle, or rides a bike (one person, now) |
| cycled | cycle (root or base)+ed (suffix)→cycleddrop the e | rode a bike, or went around a circle, in the past |
| cycling | cycle (root or base)+ing (suffix)→cyclingdrop the e | riding a bike, now |
| cyclists | cycle (root or base)+ist (suffix)+s (suffix)→cyclistsdrop the e | more than one person who rides a bike |
| cyclist | cycle (root or base)+ist (suffix)→cyclistdrop the e | a person who rides a bike |
More words: cycle
Next: longer words (about grades 5 and 6)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| recycle | re (prefix)+cycle (root or base)→recycle | send used things back around so they can be made into something new |
| recycles | re (prefix)+cycle (root or base)+s (suffix)→recycles | sends used things back to be made new (one person, now) |
| recycled | re (prefix)+cycle (root or base)+ed (suffix)→recycleddrop the e | made from used things, or sent back to be used again |
| recycling | re (prefix)+cycle (root or base)+ing (suffix)→recyclingdrop the e | sending used things back to be made new, now |
| recyclable | re (prefix)+cycle (root or base)+able (suffix)→recyclabledrop the e | able to be recycled |
| cyclic | cycl (root or base)+ic (suffix)→cyclic | happening again and again in a circle |
| motorcycle | motor (root or base)+cycle (root or base)→motorcycle | a heavy bike with a motor |
| bicycle | bi (prefix)+cycle (root or base)→bicycle | a cycle with two wheels |
| tricycle | tri (prefix)+cycle (root or base)→tricycle | a cycle with three wheels |
More words: cyclone
Stretch: long or less common words (about grades 7 and 8)
| Word | Word sum | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| unicycle | uni (prefix)+cycle (root or base)→unicycle | a cycle with one wheel |
More words: encyclopedia
Where does cycl sit in a word?
A root can come first, last or in the middle. Students who only look at the start of a word miss half of these.
- At the start:
- cycles, cycled, cycling, cyclic, cyclists
- In the middle:
- recyclable
- At the end:
- recycle, recycles, recycled, recycling, motorcycle
How do you teach the root cycl?
Most students already know bicycle and recycle, so begin with words they say every week and write them in parts: bi + cycle, re + cycle. Ask what the parts have in common, and someone will say wheels or going around. That is the meaning: circle or wheel. Recycling is a circle too. A can goes to the plant, becomes a new can, and comes back to the shelf. Draw that loop. Then show cyclone, a storm that spins, and cyclic.
A quick routine
Write cycle in the middle of a drawn circle. Say, "Cycle means circle or wheel, so count the wheels or find the circle." Then read bicycle, tricycle, unicycle and motorcycle. The student says how many wheels each one has. Next, read recycled and recycling and ask, "What happened to the e?" The student should answer that it dropped before ed and ing. Dictate recyclable last.
What do students mix up with cycl?
The spelling trips students up. They write sicle or cicle because c for /s/ and y for /ī/ both look odd together. Tell them the y is the Greek way to spell a vowel, and cycle keeps its y in every word in the family. Meaning can shift a little, too. A cyclist rides a bike, but a cycle in science, like the water cycle, is any process that comes back to where it started.
Some of these words change spelling where the parts join. The spelling rules pages cover dropping e, doubling and changing y to i. For the sounds inside these words, see the phonics word lists. Routines that fit: meanings of prefixes and suffixes, circle the parts, read the base and flexible routine for big words.
Questions people ask
What does the root cycl mean?
Cycl means "circle, or wheel". It is a Greek root, also spelled cycle. Written cycle when it stands alone or ends a word, and cycl before some vowel suffixes: cyclic. The y is the Greek spelling of a vowel sound.
What are some words with the root cycl?
Start with cycles, cycled, cycling and cyclists. Then move to recycle, recycles, unicycle and encyclopedia. This page lists 18 words in all, most with a word sum that shows the parts.
Is encyclopedia from the root cycl?
Yes. The word first meant a full circle of learning, the whole round of subjects a student should know. Show it once the student is confident with bicycle and recycle, and point out the cycl hiding in the middle.
Related word parts
- re-again, or back
- bi-two, or every two
- uni-one
- tri-three
- -ablecan be, or able to be
- -ichaving to do with, or like
- -ista person who does, plays or studies
Terms on this page: morpheme, root, prefix, suffix, base word, word sum, morphology.
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