Antlia

noun Ant·lia \ ˈant-lē-ə \

Definition of Antlia

astronomy

: a southern constellation that is visible west of the constellation Centaurus and south of the constellation Hydra and that is represented by the figure of a pump

NGC 2997 is a spiral galaxy roughly 30 million light-years away in the constellation of Antlia (the Air Pump).
—io9, 28 Oct. 2010

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Origin and Etymology of antlia

borrowed from New Latin Antlia (Pneumatica), literally, “(air) pump,” going back to Latin, “means of drawing water, treadmill,” borrowed from Greek antlía “hold of a ship, bilgewater, reservoir,” derivative of ántlos with same sense, perhaps derivative (with an instrumental suffix -tlos dissimilated from *-thlos) of an Indo-European verbal base *h₂en- “draw (water),” whence Hittite han- “draw (water)”

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1852

in the meaning defined above

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