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Epicycle
01
(astronomy) a secondary circular orbit embedded within a primary circular orbit
Grammatical Information
Animacy status
Abstract
Composition
Compound
Countable
Plural form
epicycles
Examples
In his astronomical work the Almagest, Ptolemy used a system of deferents and epicycles to explain the observed motions of planets across the night sky.
02
a small circle whose center moves around the circumference of a larger circle
Examples
The concept of an epicycle allows for the modeling of complex periodic movements in geometry and astronomy.
