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Circadian: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Circadian adjective. To do with a living thing’s natural cycle of roughly twenty-four hours.
How to say it
sur-KAY-dee-un/səːˈkeɪdɪən/
4 syllables, stressed on the second (KAY).
Circadian in a sentence
Night shifts play havoc with your circadian rhythm.
Plants keep circadian time too, raising and lowering their leaves on schedule.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- daily
- diurnal
Where circadian comes from
Coined in the 1950s from Latin circa, about, and dies, day.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
Plants keep _____ time too, raising and lowering their leaves on schedule.
- belated
- circadian
- obsolete
Show the answer
circadian: Plants keep circadian time too, raising and lowering their leaves on schedule.