constellation

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See also: constellâtion

English

Etymology

From Middle English constellacioun, constillacioun, from Middle French constellation, from Latin cōnstēllātiō, from con- (“together”) + stēllātus (“starred”), from stēlla (“star, astral body”).

Pronunciation

  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "UK" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˌkɒn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/
    • Audio (RP):(file)
  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˌkɑn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/
  • Hyphenation: con‧stel‧la‧tion
  • Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

constellation (plural constellations)

  1. (astronomy) An asterism, an arbitrary formation of stars perceived as a figure or pattern, or a division of the sky including it, especially one officially recognised by astronomers.
    • 1675, Edward Sherburne, The Sphere of Marcus Manilius Made an English Poem: With Annotations and an Astronomical Appendix., London, page 25:
      Next the cold Bears, (the Cause t' himself best known) / Shines forth a kneeling Constellation. / Behind whose Back Arctophylax appears, / The same Boötes call'd, because yoak'd Steers / He seeming drives; who through the rapid Skies / (Bearing Arcturus in his Bosome) hies.
    • 1824, Astronomical Recreations; or, Sketches of the Relative Position and Mythological History of the Constellations, Philadelphia, page 78:
      Harpa Georgii, or the Harp of George, is a new constellation introduced on the maps by one of the German astronomers, in honour of the late king of England, George III.
    • 2005 June 9, Francis Reddy, “Spitzer finds supernova's echo”, in Astronomy‎[1], photo caption:
      Located 11,000 light-years away in the northern constellation Cassiopeia, Cas A is the remnant of a once massive star that died in a violent explosion 325 years ago.
    • 2019 February 21, Rick Barrett, “Dairy farmers are in crisis—and it could change Wisconsin forever”, in USA Today Network‎[2]:
      There was a time when the soft glow of barn lights dotted Wisconsin’s rural landscape like stars in a constellation, connecting families who labored into the night milking cows, feeding calves and finishing chores.
    1. (modern astronomy) Any of the 88 regions of the sky officially recognized by the IAU, including all stars and celestial bodies in the region. [1920s]
  2. An image associated with a group of stars.
  3. (astrology) The configuration of planets at a given time (notably of birth), as used for determining a horoscope.
  4. (figuratively) A wide, seemingly unlimited assortment.
    A constellation of possibilities.
    • 2006, Edwin Black, chapter 2, in Internal Combustion‎[3]:
      Throughout the 1500s, the populace roiled over a constellation of grievances of which the forest emerged as a key focal point. The popular late Middle Ages fictional character Robin Hood, dressed in green to symbolize the forest, dodged fines for forest offenses and stole from the rich to give to the poor. But his appeal was painfully real and embodied the struggle over wood.
  5. (space flight) A fleet of satellites of the same purpose (such as the set of GPS satellites, or Iridium satcom fleet).
    • December 13 2021, Molly Ball, Jeffrey Kluger and Alejandro de la Garza, “Elon Musk: Person of the Year 2021”, in Time‎[4]:
      With its Starlink program, SpaceX hopes to launch a constellation of as many as 42,000 satellites to provide Internet service to the world.
  6. A configuration or grouping.
    • 2010, Jason B. Ohler, Digital Community, Digital Citizen (page 15)
      This software constellation persists today as Microsoft Office, the most popular software tool set in history.
  7. A network of connections that exists between people who are in polyamorous relationships, for example between one person, their partner, and that person's partner.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

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Translations to be checked

See also

French

Etymology

From Middle French constellation, from Latin constellātiō, from cōn (“with”) + stēlla (“star, astral body”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kɔ̃s.tɛ.la.sjɔ̃/ ~ /kɔ̃s.te.la.sjɔ̃/
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

constellation f (plural constellations)

  1. constellation (all senses)

Further reading

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