Life-cycle meaning

The definition of a life cycle is the series of changes that happen to a living creature over the course of its lifetime.

A progression through a series of differing stages of development.

The series of developmental changes in form undergone by a particular type of organism from its earliest stage to the recurrence of the same stage in the next generation.

The course of developmental changes through which an organism passes from its inception through the stage at which it reproduces.

The span of a product's existence from its initial development through the period of marketing and active use to eventual obsolescence.

Any series of changes like this.

The course of developmental changes through which an organism passes from its inception through the stage at which it reproduces.

A progression through a series of differing stages of development.

The span of a product's existence from its initial development through the period of marketing and active use to eventual obsolescence.

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.

A versatile term that applies to the lifetime of a product or business. Business life cycles are characterized by a start up phase, a period of growth, maturity, and closure.