Ciklai

Ciklai is the Lithuanian term for cycles, the plural of ciklas. It denotes repeating sequences, periods, or processes that recur over time or in space, often with a characteristic duration.

Natural cycles include circadian rhythms, seasonal cycles, lunar cycles, and ecological cycles such as predator–prey dynamics and the carbon and water cycles. In physics and chemistry, cycles arise as recurring processes or thermodynamic cycles in which a system undergoes a sequence of states and returns to its initial state after a complete cycle.

Social and economic contexts use the concept of cycles to describe recurring patterns such as business cycles, demographic cycles, and seasonal migration. These concepts aid forecasting, planning, and historical analysis by highlighting periodic fluctuations.

Culturally, cycles appear in calendars, timekeeping, and music, where rhythms and repeating patterns structure activities and art. In engineering and technology, cyclic processes and feedback loops create oscillations and regulate systems in control theory and signal processing.

Etymology: ciklas is derived from the Greek kyklos via Latin cyclus; the Lithuanian plural ciklai follows standard noun pluralization rules. The term is widely used in scholarly and everyday Lithuanian to discuss recurring phenomena across disciplines.