syzygy

syz·y·gy

noun \ˈsi-zə-jē\

plural syz·y·gies

Definition of SYZYGY

: 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

Origin of SYZYGY

Late Latin syzygia conjunction, from Greek, from syzygos yoked together, from syn- + zygon yoke — more at yoke

First Known Use: circa 1847

Other Astronomy Terms

gibbous, nadir, nebulous, penumbra, retrograde, sidereal, wane, wax, zenith