orrery
or·rery
noun
planetarium consisting of an apparatus that illustrates the relative positions and motions of bodies in the solar system by rotation and revolution of balls moved by wheelwork; sometimes incorporated in a clock
Origin
Named after Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery (1676-1731), for whom such a device was made. The placename is from Irish Orbhraighe, originally the name of a tribe (Orbh-raighe (“Orb's people”)), and then of a territory and a barony.
Phrases
- clockwork universe
- Ptolemaic system
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.