What is "acyclic"

Acyclic \A*cyc"lic\, a. [Pref. a- not + cyclic.] Not cyclic; not disposed in cycles or whorls; as:

1. (Bot.) Of a flower, having its parts inserted spirally on the receptacle.

2. (Org. Chem.) Having an open-chain structure; aliphatic.

a. 1 (context chemistry English) not cyclic; having an open chain structure 2 (context graph theory English) not cyclic 3 (cx botany English) Of a flower, having its parts inserted spirally on the receptacle.

1. adj. botany; not cyclic; especially having parts arranged in spirals rather than whorls [ant: cyclic]

2. chemistry; not cyclic; having an open chain structure [syn: open-chain] [ant: cyclic]

Acyclic can refer to:

• In chemistry, a compound which is an open-chain compound, e.g. alkanes and acyclic aliphatic compounds
• In mathematics:
  • A graph without a cycle, especially
    • A directed acyclic graph
  • An acyclic complex is a chain complex, all of whose homology groups are zero
• In economics, an economic indicator with little or no correlation to the business cycle.