Word Meanings - PLANET - Book Publishers vocabulary database

A celestial body which revolves about the sun in an orbit of a moderate degree of eccentricity. It is distinguished from a comet by the absence of a coma, and by having a less eccentric orbit. See Solar system. Note: The term planet was first used

Additional info about word: PLANET

A celestial body which revolves about the sun in an orbit of a moderate degree of eccentricity. It is distinguished from a comet by the absence of a coma, and by having a less eccentric orbit. See Solar system. Note: The term planet was first used to distinguish those stars which have an apparent motion through the constellations from the fixed stars, which retain their relative places unchanged. The inferior planets are Mercury and Venus, which are nearer to the sun than is the earth; the superior planets are Mars, the asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, which are farther from the sun than is the earth. Primary planets are those which revolve about the sun; secondary planets, or moons, are those which revolve around the primary planets as satellites, and at the same time revolve with them about the sun. 2. A star, as influencing the fate of a men. There's some ill planet reigns. Shak. Planet gear. See Epicyclic train, under Epicyclic. -- Planet wheel, a gear wheel which revolves around the wheel with which it meshes, in an epicyclic train.

Related words: (words related to PLANET)

• HAVENED
  Sheltered in a haven. Blissful havened both from joy and pain. Keats.
• SOLARIZE
  To injure by too long exposure to the light of the sun in the camera; to burn.
• ECCENTRICITY
  The ratio of the distance between the center and the focus of an ellipse or hyperbola to its semi-transverse axis. (more info) 1. The state of being eccentric; deviation from the customary line of conduct; oddity.
• HAVENER
  A harbor master.
• ABSENCE
  1. A state of being absent or withdrawn from a place or from companionship; -- opposed to presence. Not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence. Phil. ii. 12. 2. Want; destitution; withdrawal. "In the absence of conventional law."
• FIRST
  Sw. & Dan. förste, OHG. furist, G. fürst prince; a superlatiye form 1. Preceding all others of a series or kind; the ordinal of one; earliest; as, the first day of a month; the first year of a reign. 2. Foremost; in front of, or in advance of,
• COMET
  A member of the solar system which usually moves in an elongated orbit, approaching very near to the sun in its perihelion, and receding to a very great distance from it at its aphelion. A comet commonly consists of three parts: the nucleus, the
• SYSTEMATIZE
  To reduce to system or regular method; to arrange methodically; to methodize; as, to systematize a collection of plants or minerals; to systematize one's work; to systematize one's ideas. Diseases were healed, and buildings erected, before medicine
• ECCENTRICALLY
  In an eccentric manner. Drove eccentrically here and there. Lew Wallace.
• CELESTIAL
  1. Belonging to the aërial regions, or visible heavens. "The twelve celestial signs." Shak. 2. Of or pertaining to the spiritual heaven; heavenly; divine. "Celestial spirits." "Celestial light," Milton. Celestial city, heaven; the heavenly
• COMETOGRAPHY
  A description of, or a treatise concerning, comets.
• ABOUT
  On the point or verge of; going; in act of. Paul was now aboutto open his mouth. Acts xviii. 14. 7. Concerning; with regard to; on account of; touching. "To treat about thy ransom." Milton. She must have her way about Sarah. Trollope. (more info)
• HAVELOCK
  A light cloth covering for the head and neck, used by soldiers as a protection from sunstroke.
• ORBITARY
  Situated around the orbit; as, the orbitary feathers of a bird.
• COMETOLOGY
  The department of astronomy relating to comets.
• COMETOGRAPHER
  One who describes or writes about comets.
• SYSTEMLESS
  Not agreeing with some artificial system of classification. (more info) 1. Being without system.
• ECCENTRICAL
  See ECCENTRIC
• SYSTEMIZATION
  The act or process of systematizing; systematization.
• HAVE
  haven, habben, AS. habben ; akin to OS. hebbian, D. hebben, OFries, hebba, OHG. hab, G. haben, Icel. hafa, Sw. hafva, Dan. have, Goth. haban, and prob. to L. habere, whence F. 1. To hold in possession or control; to own; as, he has a farm. 2.
• SUPERCELESTIAL
  1. Situated above the firmament, or great vault of heaven. Waterland. 2. Higher than celestial; superangelic.
• CONTRADISTINGUISH
  To distinguish by a contrast of opposite qualities. These are our complex ideas of soul and body, as contradistinguished. Locke.
• INDISTINGUISHABLE
  Not distinguishable; not capable of being perceived, known, or discriminated as separate and distinct; hence, not capable of being perceived or known; as, in the distance the flagship was indisguishable; the two copies were indisguishable in form
• PREORBITAL
  a. Situated in front or the orbit.
• BERTILLON SYSTEM
  A system for the identification of persons by a physical description based upon anthropometric measurements, notes of markings, deformities, color, impression of thumb lines, etc.
• CONTINENTAL SYSTEM
  The system of commercial blockade aiming to exclude England from commerce with the Continent instituted by the Berlin decree, which Napoleon I. issued from Berlin Nov. 21, 1806, declaring the British Isles to be in a state of blockade, and British
• ROUNDABOUTNESS
  The quality of being roundabout; circuitousness.
• GLEUCOMETER
  An instrument for measuring the specific gravity and ascertaining the quantity of sugar contained in must.