VOOZH about

URL: https://www.wordreference.com/definition/ecliptic

⇱ ecliptic - WordReference.com Dictionary of English


ecliptic

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ɪˈklɪptɪk/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(i kliptik)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
e•clip•tic  (i kliptik),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Astronomy
    • the great circle formed by the intersection of the plane of the earth's orbit with the celestial sphere;
      the apparent annual path of the sun in the heavens.
    • an analogous great circle on a terrestrial globe.
  2. [Astrol.]the great circle of the ecliptic, along which are located the 12 houses and signs of the zodiac.

adj. Also, e•clipti•cal. 
  1. Astronomypertaining to an eclipse.
  2. Astronomypertaining to the ecliptic.
  • Greek ekleiptikós, equivalent. to ekleíp(ein) (see eclipse) + -tikos -tic
  • Medieval Latin eclīptica, feminine of eclīpticus
  • Middle English 1350–1400
e•clipti•cal•ly, adv. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
ecliptic /ɪˈklɪptɪk/ n
    • the great circle on the celestial sphere representing the apparent annual path of the sun relative to the stars. It is inclined at 23.45° to the celestial equator. The poles of the ecliptic lie on the celestial sphere due north and south of the plane of the ecliptic
    • (as modifier): the ecliptic plane
  1. an equivalent great circle, opposite points of which pass through the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, on the terrestrial globe
adj
  1. of or relating to an eclipse
eˈcliptically adv
'ecliptic' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

Forum discussions with the word(s) "ecliptic" in the title:


Look up "ecliptic" at Merriam-Webster
Look up "ecliptic" at dictionary.com
  • Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks.

In other languages: Spanish | French | Italian | Portuguese | Romanian | German | Dutch | Swedish | Russian | Polish | Czech | Greek | Turkish | Chinese | Japanese | Korean | Arabic

Advertisements
Advertisements
Report an inappropriate ad.
WordReference.com
WORD OF THE DAY
GET THE DAILY EMAIL!
Become a WordReference Supporter to view the site ad-free.
Firefox users: use search shortcuts for the fastest search of WordReference.
Copyright © 2026 WordReference.com
Please report any problems.