Meaning & use
circadian
Last updated
Relating to biological processes that recur naturally on a roughly 24-hour cycle, such as the sleep-wake cycle.
See it in a sentence
Jet lag disrupts the body's circadian rhythm, making it hard to sleep at the usual time.
Scientists study how light exposure influences circadian rhythms in shift workers.
A note on using this word
From Latin "circa" (about) and "dies" (day), literally meaning "about a day"; the 2017 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded for discoveries about the molecular mechanisms controlling it.
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