andromeda

1 of 2

noun (1)

an·​drom·​eda an-ˈdrä-mə-də How to pronounce andromeda (audio)
: any of several evergreen shrubs (genera Pieris and Andromeda) of the heath family
especially : japanese andromeda

Andromeda

2 of 2

noun (2)

An·​drom·​e·​da an-ˈdrä-mə-də How to pronounce Andromeda (audio)
1
: an Ethiopian princess of Greek mythology rescued from a monster by her future husband Perseus
2
: a northern constellation directly south of Cassiopeia between Pegasus and Perseus

Examples of andromeda in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
The device was reportedly codenamed Surface Andromeda, but the company has never openly spoken about it. PC Magazine, 4 Aug. 2025 Spikes of creamy white astilbe mimicked Mona Lisa’s skin tone, and the long seed heads of the andromeda aped her fingers and added a tawny layer. Lindsey Taylor, WSJ, 7 Aug. 2018 The andromeda alongside my front steps mysteriously died over the winter. New York Times, 25 May 2018 Your andromeda and azaleas have lace bugs, an insect that inserts its feeding tube into the leaf and sucks out the contents of plant cells. Ellen Nibali, baltimoresun.com, 17 May 2018 Botany cannot go farther than tell me the names of the shrubs which grow there,—the high-blueberry, panicled andromeda, lambkill, azalea, and rhodora,—all standing in the quaking sphagnum. Henry David Thoreau, The Atlantic, 6 Oct. 2017
Noun
Even the outer-space virus in The Andromeda Strain is still, in the end, just a virus. Ian MacKenzie, Literary Hub, 27 May 2026 Andromeda, Dahrouge says, is one of her favorites. Nathan Rott, NPR, 27 May 2026 So far, Nappa says, the company has lent A$100 million to 200 businesses, including humanoid-robot developer Andromeda, the brainchild of Grace Brown, a 30 Under 30 Asia alum of 2025. John Kang, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026 Peter Helm, the actor from Toronto who appeared on such 1960 shows as Naked City, Wagon Train and Ironside and in films including The Longest Day, Inside Daisy Clover and The Andromeda Strain, has died. Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2026 In 2012 scientists published their results of Hubble Space Telescope observations examining the motion of Andromeda, the closest large spiral galaxy to our own. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 22 May 2026 The galaxy is a major hub for star formation, producing new stars at a rate around 10 times greater than the average seen in the Andromeda galaxy, according to NASA. Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 15 May 2026 The program that will follow GSSAP, known as RG-XX or Andromeda, will use cheaper, refuelable satellites to patrol geosynchronous orbit. Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026 In February 2026, scientists pinpointed a possible candidate in the Andromeda galaxy. Quanta Magazine, 15 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

borrowed from New Latin Andromeda, genus name (now applied only to the single species Andromeda polifolia), after the mythological andromeda

Note: The genus was introduced by linnaeus in Species plantarum, vol. 1 (Stockholm, 1753), p. 393. In his Flora Lapponica (Amsterdam, 1737), pp. 126-27, Linnaeus develops an elaborate comparison between the characteristics of the plant Andromeda polifolia and the physical and mythological features of Andromeda.

Noun (2)

Latin Andromeda (genitive Andromedae), borrowed from Greek Andromédē

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1754, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of andromeda was in 1538

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Cite this Entry

“Andromeda.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/andromeda. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

Andromeda

noun
An·​drom·​e·​da an-ˈdräm-əd-ə How to pronounce Andromeda (audio)
: a northern group of stars in a straight line south of Cassiopeia between Pegasus and Perseus
Etymology

Noun

from Greek Andromedē, a mythological princess

Medical Definition

andromeda

noun
an·​drom·​e·​da an-ˈdräm-əd-ə How to pronounce andromeda (audio)
1
capitalized : a small genus of low evergreen boreal or arctic shrubs of the heath family (Ericaceae) having drooping white or pinkish flowers in terminal umbels and including several that are sources of andromedotoxin
2
: any plant of the genus Andromeda

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