ephemeris

English

Etymology

From New Latin ephēmeris, from Ancient Greek ἐφημερίς (ephēmerís, “diary, calendar”), from ἐφήμερος (ephḗmeros, “daily”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɪˈfɛməɹɪs/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɪˈfɛməɹəs/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

ephemeris (plural ephemerides or ephemerises)

1. (obsolete) A journal or diary.
   • 1638, Thomas Herbert, Some Yeares Travels, section I:

     Wee heard the King was solacing at the Caspian Sea, whither now wee are travelling. Till then let us keepe an Ephemerides or day-journey.

2. (astronomy, nautical) A table giving the apparent position of celestial bodies throughout the year; normally given as right ascension and declination.

   Synonym: almanac

   • 1792, William Bligh, chapter 13, in A Voyage to the South Sea:

     […] Mr. Samuel got 150 pounds of bread, with a small quantity of rum and wine, also a quadrant and compass; but he was forbidden on pain of death to touch either map, ephemeris, book of astronomical observations, sextant, timekeeper, or any of my surveys or drawings.

3. Computer software that calculates the apparent position of celestial bodies.

Derived terms

• ephemeris time

Related terms

• ephemerid
• ephemeride

Translations

table giving the apparent position of celestial bodies throughout the year

• Catalan: efemèrides f pl
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 皇曆／皇历 (zh) (huánglì)

• Finnish: efemeridi (fi)
• French: éphéméride (fr) f, éphémérides (fr) f pl
• German: Ephemeride f
• Greek: αστρονομική εφημερίδα f (astronomikí efimerída)
• Irish: eifimiris f
• Italian: effemeride (it) f
• Persian: زیج (fa), زیگ (fa) (zig), دفتر سال (daftar-e sâl)
• Polish: efemeryda f
• Portuguese: efeméride (pt) f
• Russian: эфемери́да (ru) f (efemerída)
• Spanish: efemérides (es) f pl
• Swedish: efemerid (sv)
• Turkish: efemeris, gök günlüğü

Further reading

• ephemeris on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Latin

Etymology

From the Ancient Greek ἐφημερῐ́ς (ephēmerís, “diary”, “journal”, especially “a military record”; “day-book”, “account-book”), from ἐφήμερος (ephḗmeros, “living but a day”, hence “short-lived”; “for the day”, “daily”), from ἐπ(ί) (ep(í), “[motive] for”) +‎ ἡμέρα (hēméra, “day”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /eˈpʰeː.me.ris/, [ɛˈpʰeːmɛrɪs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /eˈfe.me.ris/, [eˈfɛːmeris]

Noun

ephēmeris f (genitive ephēmeridis or ephēmeridos); third declension

1. a day-book, diary, ephemeris
2. a journal, periodical
   • 1866 February 12th, Pope Pius IX, “Papal Brief in favour of ‘La Civiltà Cattolica’” in The Dublin Review, New Series, volume VII (July–October, 1866), № xiii, page 230:

     Qui Religiosi Viri, Nostris desideriis omni observantia et studio quam libentissime obsecudantes, iam inde ab anno 1850 Ephemeridem, cui titulus La Civiltà Cattolica, conscribendam, typisque vulgandam susceperunt.

     Which aforesaid religious, most willingly seconding our wishes with all observance and zeal, undertook from that very time (the year 1850) the writing and publishing a journal called “La Civiltà Cattolica.” ― translation from the same source

Declension

Third-declension noun. Case Singular Plural Nominative ephēmeris ephēmeridēs Genitive ephēmeridis ephēmeridum Dative ephēmeridī ephēmeridibus Accusative ephēmeridem ephēmeridēs Ablative ephēmeride ephēmeridibus Vocative ephēmeris ephēmeridēs

Third-declension noun (Greek-type, normal variant). Case Singular Plural Nominative ephēmeris ephēmerides Genitive ephēmeridos ephēmeridum Dative ephēmeridī ephēmeridibus Accusative ephēmerida ephēmeridas Ablative ephēmeride ephēmeridibus Vocative ephēmeris ephēmeri1 ephēmerides 1In poetry.

Synonyms

• (journal): ācta

Related terms

• ephēmericus
• ephēmerida
• ephēmeron

Descendants

• Catalan: efemèride
• English: ephemeris
• French: éphéméride
• Galician: efeméride
• Italian: effemeride
• Portuguese: efeméride
• Spanish: efeméride
• Romanian: efemeride

References

• “ĕphēmĕris”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “ephemeris”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• ĕphēmĕris in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette, page 593/1.
• “ephemeris”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “ephemeris”, in William Smith et al., editor (1890), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin