epicycle.

A circular path whose center moves along another path, historically used in models of planetary motion.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• planetary epicycle
• epicycle model

On the page

The diagram showed an epicycle carried around the larger circle.

Usage notes

Primary category: sci-fi. Forms: Singular epicycle; plural epicycles. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Commonness: uncommon.