Adjacent Words

Syzygy definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SYZ'YGY, n. [Gr. to join.] The conjunction or opposition of a planet with the sun, or of any two of the heavenly bodies. On the phenomena and circumstances of the syzygies, depends a great part of the lunar theory.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the straight line configuration of 3 celestial bodies (as the sun and earth and moon) in a gravitational system

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural -gies) Etymology: Late Latin syzygia conjunction, from Greek, from syzygos yoked together, from syn- + zygon yoke — more at yoke Date: circa 1847 the nearly straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies (as the sun, moon, and earth during a solar or lunar eclipse) in a gravitational system

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. -ies) 1 Astron. conjunction or opposition, esp. of the moon with the sun. 2 a pair of connected or correlated things. Etymology: LL syzygia f. Gk suzugia f. suzugos yoked, paired (as SYN-, zugon yoke)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Syzygy Syz"y*gy (s[i^]z"[i^]*j[y^]), n. The intimately united and apparently fused condition of certain low organisms during conjugation.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Syzygy Syz"y*gy (s[i^]z"[i^]*j[y^]), n.; pl. Syzygies (-j[i^]z). [L. syzygia a joining together, conjunction, Gr. syzygi`a; sy`n with + zeygny`nai to join, zygo`n yoke: cf. F. syzygie. See Yoke, n.] 1. (Astron.) The point of an orbit, as of the moon or a planet, at which it is in conjunction or opposition; -- commonly used in the plural. 2. (Gr. & L. Pros.) The coupling together of different feet; as, in Greek verse, an iambic syzygy. 3. (Zo["o]l.) (a) Any one of the segments of an arm of a crinoid composed of two joints so closely united that the line of union is obliterated on the outer, though visible on the inner, side. (b) The immovable union of two joints of a crinoidal arm. Line of syzygies (Astron.), the straight line connecting the earth, the sun, and the moon or a planet, when the latter is in conjunction or opposition; -- used chiefly of the moon.