galaxy

noun

gal·​axy ˈga-lək-sē 

plural galaxies

1

a

often capitalized : milky way galaxy

—used with the

b

: any of the very large groups of stars and associated matter that are found throughout the universe

2

a

: an assemblage of brilliant or notable persons or things

a galaxy of artists

b

: world sense 11

remained galaxies apart on the issue

—Newsweek

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.

Synonyms

• light-year
• world

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 on the Web

This endeavor will yield 60 petabytes of data on the composition of the universe, the nature and distribution of dark matter, dark energy and the expansion of the universe, the formation of our galaxy, our intimate little solar system, and more. —Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024

In 2020, the astrophysicist Andrea Ghez, of the University of California, Los Angeles, and a colleague received a Nobel for having tracked the path of objects near the center of our galaxy in sufficient detail to indicate that there must be a supermassive black hole there. —Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2024

The first image of a black hole was released in 2019, when the Event Horizon Telescope project shared an image of the black hole at the center of galaxy Messier 87 (M87), some 55 million light years from Earth in the Virgo galaxy cluster. —Bill Chappell, NPR, 28 Mar. 2024

Scientists have published a spectacular new polarised light image of the strong magnetic fields spiraling from the edge of the black hole at the center of our galaxy. —Jamie Carter, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

Two years ago, astronomers shared the first image of the black hole residing in our home galaxy, called Sagittarius A*. —Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024

During his most recent visit to the research center, the professor captured a series of striking images of nebulas and galaxies. —USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024

Its first images were so hotly anticipated that the White House scooped NASA’s announcement, releasing a dazzling view of thousands of galaxies the day before the space agency shared the first batch of pictures. —Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2024

Named Shakti and Shiva for Hindu deities, the streams were likely parts of other galaxies that merged with the Milky Way in its infancy between 12 billion and 13 billion years ago. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing galaxy

• elliptical galaxy
• Milky Way galaxy
• radio galaxy
• satellite galaxy
• Seyfert galaxy
• spiral galaxy

Kids Definition

galaxy

noun

gal·​axy ˈgal-ək-sē 

plural galaxies

1

: milky way galaxy

2

: one of the very large groups of stars and other matter that are found throughout the universe

Etymology

Middle English galaxie "the Milky Way," from Latin galaxias (same meaning), from Greek galaxias "Milky Way," from galakt-, gala "milk"