Link Centre Dictionary

ecliptic

ec·lip·tic

UK/ɪˈklɪp.tɪk/ US/ɪˈklɪptɪk/ fairly common

noun

1.

the great circle representing the apparent annual path of the sun; the plane of the Earth''s orbit around the sun; makes an angle of about 23 degrees with the equator

  • “all of the planets rotate the sun in approximately the same ecliptic”

Origin

Borrowed from Latin eclīptica. So named because an eclipse can occur only when the Moon lies on this plane.

Phrases

  • plane of ecliptic

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.