Of or pertaining to, or exhibiting the characteristics of, any of the legendary Cyclopes.
Vast; gigantic: applied to an early style of masonry, sometimes imitated in later ages, constructed of stones either unhewn or more or less irregularly shaped and fitted together, usually polygonal, but in some more recent examples approaching regular horizontal courses, and often presenting joints of very perfect workmanship. Such masonry was fabled to be the work of the Cyclopes. It is remarkable for the immense size of the stones commonly employed, and was most frequently used for the walls of cities and fortresses. The walls of Tiryns, near Nauplia, in Greece, mentioned by Homer, are a good specimen of Cyclopean masonry. The remains of these walls consist of three courses, of which the stones, measuring from 6 to 9 feet long, from 3 to 4 feet wide, and from 2 to 3 feet deep, are rudely shaped, irregular masses piled on one another. Examples of Cyclopean work occur in Greece, Italy, Asia Minor, and elsewhere. The more primitive Cyclopean masonry in Greece, roughly built of stones entirely unhewn, the spaces between the larger stones being filled with smaller ones, is often termed Pelasgic.