synodic

adjective

syn·​od·​ic sə-ˈnä-dik 

variants or synodical

sə-ˈnä-di-kəl 

1

: of or relating to a synod : synodal

2

usually synodic [Greek synodikos, from synodos meeting, conjunction] : relating to conjunction

especially : relating to the period between two successive conjunctions of the same celestial bodies (such as the moon and the sun)

Examples of synodic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This prograde-to-retrograde cycle is known as a synodic period, and Mercury takes roughly 115 days to complete it. —Phil Plait, Scientific American, 17 Aug. 2023

Researchers have long believed this calendar was associated with planetary movements, especially the synodic periods—when a planet appears visually to return to the same location in the sky, as seen from Earth—of key planets. —Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 21 Apr. 2023

With a 780-day synodic period, 21 periods match exactly to 16,380, or 20 cycles of 819. —Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 21 Apr. 2023

Mercury was always the starting point for the tricky timeline because its synodic period—117 days—matches nicely into 819. —Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, 21 Apr. 2023

These rotations are called the synodic cycles of the planets—their cycles relative to the sun. —Tony Freeth, Scientific American, 15 Dec. 2021

This writing is a formulaic list of the synodic events of each planet (such as its conjunctions with the sun and its stationary points) and the intervals in days between them. —Tony Freeth, Scientific American, 15 Dec. 2021

For example, the interior face of the iconic Reverso cradle features three lunar displays (the synodic cycle, the draconic cycle and the anomalistic cycle). —Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 20 Aug. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1561, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing synodic

• synodic month