'acyclic' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'akyklos,' where 'a-' meant 'not' and 'kyklos' meant 'circle or cycle.'

'akyklos' transformed into the Latin word 'acyclicus,' and eventually became the modern English word 'acyclic' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'not forming a circle or cycle,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.