Magellanic Cloud

noun

Mag·​el·​lan·​ic Cloud ˌma-jə-ˈla-nik- 

 chiefly British  ˌma-gə-

: either of the two nearest galaxies to the Milky Way system:

a

: large magellanic cloud

b

: small magellanic cloud

Examples of Magellanic Cloud in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Fewer satellite galaxies are found around smaller host galaxies compared to larger ones like the Milky Way, the researchers write in their study In particular, hosts similar in size to the Small Magellanic Cloud have fewer satellites than those like the Large Magellanic Cloud. —Victoria Corless, Space.com, 14 Aug. 2025

Turns out, the nearest supermassive black hole to be found outside our own Milky Way Galaxy lies shockingly close, only 158,000 light years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud. —Bruce Dorminey, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025

Partly that's because any such black hole should lie at the center of the Large Magellanic Cloud, but its center is not well-defined. —Nell Greenfieldboyce, NPR, 6 Mar. 2025

That’s why the team focused on the Magellanic Cloud (SMC). —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2025

This image from the James Webb Space Telescope features a bright H II region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. —Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Ferdinand Magellan

First Known Use

1678, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Magellanic Cloud

• allowed
• aloud
• avowed
• endowed
• mcleod
• bowed
• browed
• coude
• cowed
• crowd
• dowd
• loud