(of an organic compound) containing a closed ring of atoms, at least one of which is not a carbon atom
Compare homocyclic
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
het•er•o•cy•clic
(het′ər ə sī′klik, -sik′lik),USA pronunciation adj. [Chem.]
het•er•o•cy•cle
(het′ər ə sī′kəl),USA pronunciation n.
- Chemistryof or pertaining to the branch of chemistry dealing with cyclic compounds in which at least one of the ring members is not a carbon atom (contrasted with homocyclic).
- Chemistrynoting such compounds, as ethylene oxide, C2H4O.
- 1895–1900; hetero- + cyclic
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'heterocyclic' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
aromatic compound
- azine
- azole
- chelate
- cyclic
- flavin
- furan
- hetero
- heteroaromatic
- heteroatom
- homocyclic
- imidazole
- indole
- piperidine
- pyrazole
- pyrazoline
- pyrazolone
- pyridine
- pyrimidine
- pyrone
- quinazoline
- quinoline
- rotenone
- thiophen
- xanthene