Definition of galaxy
galaxies
1a often capitalized : milky way galaxy —used with theb : any of the very large groups of stars and associated matter that are found throughout the universe
2a : an assemblage of brilliant or notable persons or things a galaxy of artistsb : world 11 remained galaxies apart on the issue — Newsweek
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Examples of galaxy in a Sentence
The event was attended by a galaxy of artists.
they're a galaxy apart when it comes to politics
Recent Examples of galaxy from the Web
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Others were supermassive, holding millions or even billions of solar masses, and anchored the hearts of galaxies (just as one does at the center of our Milky Way).
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Such stars were once common in globular clusters, or dense clumps of extremely old stars that orbit galaxies, including our own.
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The collision of two black holes releases more energy than all the stars and galaxies in the universe radiate at any time.
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CINCINNATI, Ohio - No need to travel to a galaxy far, far away for the latest Star Wars fan fix: 250 miles south on I-71 is far enough.
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If left alone, the galaxies could keep on quietly churning out new stars year after year, sipping on their precious gaseous reserves.
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Currently in production is Avengers: Infinity War, which sucked up a whole other galaxy of prized items, but certainly the Brisbane show has more than enough to see.
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Since 1996, Mr. Barnes has piloted the Athens, Ga., troupe Of Montreal through a rapidly expanding galaxy of sounds, from psychedelic folk to glam rock, Prince-worshiping funk, dance music and beyond.
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At the center of Asimov's universe lies Trantor, the ruling planet of an empire that spans 25 million worlds across the galaxy.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'galaxy'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
The system of stars that includes our sun looks, in the night sky, like a broad band of light. We call this band the Milky Way. The idea of the whiteness of the Milky Way being similar to that of milk is much older than the English language, however. Galaxias, the Greek word for the Milky Way, was derived from the Greek gala, “milk.” English galaxy, derived from Greek galaxias, was not used until the 19th century as a generic term for other star systems as well as the one in which we live.
Origin and Etymology of galaxy
Middle English galaxias, galaxie, borrowed from Late Latin galaxias, borrowed from Greek galaxías (probably originally conjoined with kýklos “wheel”), from galakt-, stem of gála “milk” (going back to Indo-European *glkt-, attested elsewhere only in Latin lact-, lac “milk,” Armenian kat‘n) + -ias, noun suffix, especially of natural phenomena
First Known Use: 15th century
GALAXY Defined for English Language Learners
galaxy
playDefinition of galaxy for English Language Learners
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astronomy : any one of the very large groups of stars that make up the universe
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the Galaxy : the galaxy in which we live
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: a large group of important or well-known people or things
GALAXY Defined for Kids
galaxy
playDefinition of galaxy for Students
galaxies
1 : milky way galaxy
2 : one of the very large groups of stars, gas, and dust that make up the universe
History for galaxy
The band of light that crosses a clear night sky is caused by many faint stars. We call this band the Milky Way because it looks a bit like a stream of milk. The stars of the Milky Way belong to our galaxy, the Milky Way galaxy. The idea that the Milky Way looks like milk is much older than the English language, however. The ancient Greek name for this star system, galaxias, was formed from the Greek word gala, “milk.” The English word galaxy was borrowed from the Greek name.
Learn More about galaxy
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for galaxy Spanish Central: Translation of galaxy Nglish: Translation of galaxy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of galaxy for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about galaxy
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