life cycle

noun

1. Biology. the continuous sequence of changes undergone by an organism from one primary form, as a gamete, to the development of the same form again.
2. a series of stages, as childhood and middle age, that characterize the course of existence of an individual, group, or culture.
3. any similar series of stages:

   the life cycle of a manufactured product.

life cycle

noun

1. the series of changes occurring in an animal or plant between one development stage and the identical stage in the next generation

life cycle

1. The series of changes in the growth and development of an organism from its beginning as an independent life form to its mature state in which offspring are produced. In simple organisms, such as bacteria, the life cycle begins when an organism is produced by fission and ends when that organism in turn divides into two new ones. In organisms that reproduce sexually, the life cycle may be thought of as beginning with the fusion of reproductive cells to form a new organism. The cycle ends when that organism produces its own reproductive cells, which then begin the cycle again by undergoing fusion with other reproductive cells. The life cycles of plants, algae, and many protists often involve an alternation between a generation of organisms that reproduces sexually and another that reproduces asexually.
2. See more at alternation of generations

Word History and Origins

Origin of life cycle¹

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

But it’s too early in the life cycle to expect a payoff.

From Salon

Camarillo sits in a chaparral ecosystem — one dominated by dry fire-loving brush that, as a natural part of the ecosystem’s life cycle, routinely burns.

From Los Angeles Times

One rule introduced at the end of the show’s third season is that an energy vampire’s life cycle spans exactly 100 years.

From Los Angeles Times

Colin is the only “Shadows” character to die and begin another life cycle as the world’s strangest and supernaturally fast-growing child.

From Salon

The introspective project is “a turbulent journey, tangled in self-destructive choices and relationships,” which mirrors the life cycle of the arachnid.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• biological clock