ecliptic

1 of 2

adjective

eclip·​tic i-ˈklip-tik 

: of or relating to the ecliptic or an eclipse

ecliptic

2 of 2

noun

: the great circle of the celestial sphere that is the apparent path of the sun among the stars or of the earth as seen from the sun : the plane of the earth's orbit extended to meet the celestial sphere

Examples of ecliptic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Planetary alignment is not uncommon along the ecliptic path, with the last occurrence seen in the Northern Hemisphere on April 8. —Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 28 May 2024

After that, the Solar Orbiter will drift off the ecliptic plane to begin examining the sun’s poles. —WIRED, 20 Sep. 2023

Noun

The ascending node is where the Moon moves into the northern ecliptic. —Rebecca Boyle, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024

The Saros, then, is just a nice round interval during which all these cycles repeat a whole number of times: 223 passes through the new moon is almost exactly equal to 242 laps in and out of the ecliptic, which is in turn almost exactly equal to 239 oscillations in the moon’s apparent size. —Joshua Sokol, Quanta Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English ekliptik, borrowed from Latin eclīpticus, borrowed from Greek ekleiptikós, from ekleípein "to be obscured (of a celestial body)" + -t-, verbal adjective ending + -ikos -ic entry 1 — more at eclipse entry 1

Noun

Middle English ekliptik, borrowed from Medieval Latin eclīptica (short for eclīptica līnea "ecliptic line"), from feminine of Latin eclīpticus ecliptic entry 1; so called because eclipses occur on or near the ecliptic

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

ecliptic

noun

eclip·​tic

i-ˈklip-tik

: the great circle of the celestial sphere on which the sun appears to move among the stars