Galilean

1 of 2

adjective (1)

Gal·​i·​le·​an ˌga-lə-ˈlē-ən How to pronounce Galilean (audio) -ˈlā- How to pronounce Galilean (audio)
: of, relating to, or discovered by Galileo Galilei
Galilean satellites

Galilean

2 of 2

adjective (2)

Gal·​i·​le·​an ˌga-lə-ˈlē-ən How to pronounce Galilean (audio)
: of, relating to, or characteristic of Galilee
Galilean noun
plural Galileans

Examples of Galilean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Humanity’s first good look at the four Galilean moons came with NASA’s Pioneer and Voyager probes in the 1970s. science.org, 19 Sep. 2024 As a result, the Galilean moons look nothing like dead worlds such as Earth’s own moon. Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 May 2024 Above the poem is an illustration of the Jovian system and its four Galilean moons, including Europa. Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024 Io is the third-largest of Jupiter's four Galilean moons and is the most volcanically active celestial body in our solar system, with roughly 400 active volcanos, according to the agency. Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 7 Feb. 2024 In the coming year, this will be the best time to see the planet: its four huge Galilean moons will be easily spotted in binoculars, and the banded storms striping its face will be visible in small telescopes. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2023 Those include the icy worlds of Europa and Ganymede and the fiery Io. Lo is slightly larger than Earth's moon and is constantly stretched and squeezed by the gravitational pull of Jupiter and the other Galilean moons. Julia Musto, Fox News, 16 May 2023 For the Galilean moons, which presumably formed around the same time as Jupiter itself, the planet would have blazed like a star in the sky and overpowered the light emanating from the farther-off sun. Nola Taylor Tillman, Scientific American, 24 Apr. 2023 The best hope for answering this question in the near-term, ironically, may come from NASA’s forthcoming Clipper mission to the Galilean moon of Europa. Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Galilean.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

galileo + -an entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

circa 1751, in the meaning defined above

Adjective (2)

1638, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Galilean was in 1638

Dictionary Entries Near Galilean

Cite this Entry

“Galilean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Galilean. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.

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