Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Either of two points in the orbit of a solar system body where the body is in opposition to or in conjunction with the sun.
- noun Either of two points in the orbit of the moon when the moon lies in a straight line with the sun and Earth.
- noun The configuration of the sun, the moon, and Earth lying in a straight line.
- noun The combining of two feet into a single metrical unit in classical prosody.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In astronomy, the conjunction or opposition of a planet with the sun, or of any two of the heavenly bodies. On the phenomena and circumstances of the syzygies depends a great part of the lunar theory.
- noun In ancient prosody, a group or combination of two feet.
- noun In algebra, a linear function in the variables. See
syzygetic . - noun In zoology, the conjunction of two organs or organisms by close adhesion and partial concrescence, without loss of their identity; also, the thing so formed, or the resulting conformation; a syzygium: a term variously applied.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Astron.) The point of an orbit, as of the moon or a planet, at which it is in conjunction or opposition; -- commonly used in the plural.
- noun (Gr. & L. Pros.) The coupling together of different feet.
- noun Any one of the segments of an arm of a crinoid composed of two joints so closely united that the line of union is obliterated on the outer, though visible on the inner, side.
- noun The immovable union of two joints of a crinoidal arm.
- noun The intimately united and apparently fused condition of certain low organisms during conjugation.
- noun (Astron.) the straight line connecting the earth, the sun, and the moon or a planet, when the latter is in conjunction or opposition; -- used chiefly of the moon.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun astronomy, astrology A kind of unity, namely an
alignment of threecelestial bodies (for example, theSun ,Earth , andMoon ) such that one body is directly between the other two, such as occurs at aneclipse - noun psychology An
archetypal pairing ofcontrasexual opposites, symbolizing thecommunication of theconscious andunconscious minds - noun mathematics A
relation betweengenerators of amodule - noun medicine The
fusion of some or all of theorgans - noun zoology The
association of twoprotozoa end-to-end orlaterally for the purpose ofasexual exchange ofgenetic material - noun zoology The pairing of
chromosomes inmeiosis
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the straight line configuration of 3 celestial bodies (as the sun and earth and moon) in a gravitational system
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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And I do not think this set of paired opposites, this syzygy, is unique to me.
notes from the peanut gallery Dean Francis Alfar 2004
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And I do not think this set of paired opposites, this syzygy, is unique to me.
Archive 2004-05-01 Dean Francis Alfar 2004
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I used to love the word syzygy because, in the Oxford Illustrated Dictionary, its definition (in the mathematical sense) went something like: "A group of rational, integral functions, which, when severally multiplied together, the sum of the products vanishes identically."
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I used to love the word syzygy because, in the Oxford Illustrated Dictionary, its definition (in the mathematical sense) went something like: "A group of rational, integral functions, which, when severally multiplied together, the sum of the products vanishes identically."
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Aww, I have liked the word syzygy for years now, and I AM surprised about its frequency in titles.
A Word 2009
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Words are celebrated in vocabularic feats -- Page 117 alone delights a word-lover with "syzygy," "invigilator" and "fusee."
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He told her he had missed the word "syzygy" (in astronomy, an alignment of three celestial objects).
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Apocalypse-averting dolphins make me feel syzygy all over.
A Word 2009
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It was a syzygy, a rare alignment of heavenly bodies, and yes, it totally made my day.
Stars AND Garters! princessalethea 2010
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Now and then, however, the planets hit syzygy, everything lines up, and something not even in the realm of consideration on Monday pops up on Tuesday.
Archive 2009-10-01 Steve Perry 2009
seanahan commented on the word syzygy
Great word for hangman.
December 3, 2006
born2badored commented on the word syzygy
I like Vladimir Solovyovs use of this word
December 6, 2006
chained_bear commented on the word syzygy
Wow. Now *here's* a word it's good to know when playing Scrabble.
February 2, 2007
prakash commented on the word syzygy
> Now *here's* a word it's good to know when playing Scrabble.
Only if you are playing Super Scrabble. Regular Scrabble has only 2 tiles of the letter Y.
April 4, 2007
arby commented on the word syzygy
I know this from the X-Files episode of the same name - anyone with me?
May 6, 2007
jennarenn commented on the word syzygy
But regular Scrabble also has two blank tiles for just such emergencies.
May 26, 2007
slumry commented on the word syzygy
Became acquainted with this word a few years ago when wine tasting in Walla Walla WA--there is a winery with that name. As I recall, the winemaker (unsurprisingly) had a great love of astonomy, and explained the term in some detail.
June 13, 2007
forrykook commented on the word syzygy
What a wonderful word. Isn't it gorgeous. I first came across it in a science fiction stories book by Theodore Sturgeon. The story was called "It wasn't Syzygy".
September 10, 2007
npydyuan commented on the word syzygy
That Sturgeon story was my first encounter with syzygy, too!
October 12, 2007
jeffazi commented on the word syzygy
The alignment of any three celestial bodies.
October 31, 2007
dhuber commented on the word syzygy
Zoology parlance - of which I am familiar - the breakpoint in a starfish's arm.
November 13, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word syzygy
"'Really, Sophie, you would think that a fellow of Stephen's parts, a prodigious natural philosopher, could be brought to understand the nature of the tide. Here is the moon at her perigee, in syzygy, and near the equator, as I showed you last night, and you smoked it directly, did you not?'
"'Oh, perfectly, my dear,' said Sophie, looking wild: at least she had a clear recollection of the pale crescent over Porchester Castle..."
--Patrick O'Brian, The Ionian Mission, 24
February 11, 2008
wolfnotes commented on the word syzygy
Wasn't this an NES game? Oh, no, that was Xexyz.
October 29, 2008
garyth123 commented on the word syzygy
shortest word in english with three ys
December 7, 2008
tbtabby commented on the word syzygy
This was almost the name of Atari.
July 5, 2009
PossibleUnderscore commented on the word syzygy
Definition in the mathematical sense: "A group of rational, integral functions, which, when severally multiplied together, the sum of the products vanishes identically."
July 14, 2009
jmricks commented on the word syzygy
Def: The harmonious alignment of the planets.
September 15, 2009
nayanlaldas commented on the word syzygy
disability....
search engine optimization service
January 15, 2012
dailyword commented on the word syzygy
There was an X-Files episode named this.
June 22, 2012