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

According to Nicholas, what these articles fail to take into account about tropical or Western astrology is an understanding of the ecliptic, or the path that the sun travels on during the year. —Quispe López, Them., 9 Sep. 2025

Mercury, meanwhile, will rise roughly an hour before the sun to form a near-perfect diagonal line with Venus and Jupiter that traces the path of the ecliptic — the narrow plane in Earth's sky that contains the orbits of all eight solar system planets. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 31 Aug. 2025

Noun

The glow of zodiacal light aligns with the ecliptic — the sun’s path through the zodiac constellations and the plane of the solar system — which is steep at the equator and sloped at mid-northern latitudes. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025

The moon and Venus conjunction happens fairly often compared with other planetary pairings because the moon frequently passes near planets along the ecliptic, which is the path the moon, sun and planets follow across the sky. —Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 18 Sep. 2025

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

Rhymes for ecliptic

• elliptic
• apocalyptic
• cryptic
• diptych
• styptic
• triptych
• tryptic

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