Planet

Quick meaning: Planet is a noun meaning construed with the or this: The Earth.

Meaning

construed with the or this: The Earth.

More Meanings

1. (now historical or astrology) Each of the seven major bodies which move relative to the fixed stars in the night sky—the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
2. (astronomy, historical) Any body that orbits the Sun, including the asteroids (as minor planets) and sometimes the moons of those bodies (as satellite planets)
3. (astronomy, current) A body which is massive enough to be in hydrostatic equilibrium (generally resulting in being an ellipsoid) but not enough to attain nuclear fusion and, in IAU usage, which directly orbits a star (or multiple star) and dominates the region of its orbit; specifically, in the case of the Solar system, the eight major bodies of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Example Sentences

A Discovrse concerning a New Planet. Tending to prove, That 'tis probable our Earth is one of the Planets

Be they not dreames of humane vanity,[…]to make of our knowne earth a bright shining planet [translating astre]?

Another of Boehme's followers, the Welshman Morgan Llwyd, also believed that the seven planets could be found within man.

Their decision will force a rewrite of science textbooks because the solar system is now a place with eight planets and three newly defined "dwarf planets"—a new category of object that includes Pluto.

Word Forms

• planets

Synonyms for planet

Depending on context, synonyms include wanderstar, world, satellite.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include satellite, planetary, star, orb, mars, hemisphere.

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