syzygy
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syz·y·gy
(sĭz′ə-jē)n. pl. syz·y·gies
1. Astronomy
a. Either of two points in the orbit of a solar system body where the body is in opposition to or in conjunction with the sun.
b. Either of two points in the orbit of the moon when the moon lies in a straight line with the sun and Earth.
c. The configuration of the sun, the moon, and Earth lying in a straight line.
2. The combining of two feet into a single metrical unit in classical prosody.
[Late Latin sȳzygia, from Greek suzugiā, union, from suzugos, paired : sun-, su-, syn- + zugon, yoke; see yeug- in Indo-European roots.]
sy·zyg′i·al (sĭ-zĭj′ē-əl) adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
syzygy
(ˈsɪzɪdʒɪ)n, pl -gies
1. (Astronomy) either of the two positions (conjunction or opposition) of a celestial body when sun, earth, and the body lie in a straight line: the moon is at syzygy when full.
2. (Poetry) (in classical prosody) a metrical unit of two feet
3. rare any pair, usually of opposites
4. (Zoology) biology the aggregation in a mass of certain protozoans, esp when occurring before sexual reproduction
[C17: from Late Latin syzygia, from Greek suzugia, from suzugos yoked together, from syn- + zugon a yoke]
syzygial, syzygetic, syzygal adj
ˌsyzyˈgetically adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
syz•y•gy
(ˈsɪz ɪ dʒi)n., pl. -gies.
1. an alignment of three celestial objects, as the sun, the earth, and either the moon or a planet.
2. a measure in classical verse consisting of two feet, often of different kinds.
3. any two related things, either alike or opposite.
[1650–60; < Late Latin syzygia < Greek syzygía union, pair =sýzyg(os) yoked together (sy- sy- + -zygos, adj. derivative from base of zeugnýnai to yoke) + -ia -y3]
sy•zyg•i•al (sɪˈzɪdʒ i əl) syz`y•get′ic (-ˈdʒɛt ɪk) syz′y•gal (-gəl)
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| Noun | 1. | syzygy - the straight line configuration of 3 celestial bodies (as the sun and earth and moon) in a gravitational system physical phenomenon - a natural phenomenon involving the physical properties of matter and energy |
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