con·junc·tion   (kən-jŭngk'shən)    n.   The act of joining. The state of being joined. The part of speech that serves to connect words, phrases, clauses, or sentences. Any of the words belonging to this part of speech, such as and, but, as, and because. A compound proposition that has components joined by the word and or its symbol and is true only if both or all the components are true. The relationship between the components of a conjunction. A joint or simultaneous occurrence; concurrence: the conjunction of historical and economic forces that created a depression. One resulting from or embodying a union; a combination: "He is, in fact, a remarkable conjunction of talents" (Jerry Adler). Abbr. conj. Grammar The part of speech that serves to connect words, phrases, clauses, or sentences. Any of the words belonging to this part of speech, such as and, but, as, and because. A compound proposition that has components joined by the word and or its symbol and is true only if both or all the components are true. The relationship between the components of a conjunction. Astronomy The position of two celestial bodies on the celestial sphere when they have the same celestial longitude. Logic A compound proposition that has components joined by the word and or its symbol and is true only if both or all the components are true. The relationship between the components of a conjunction. [Middle English coniunccioun, from Old French conjunction, conjuncion, from Latin coniūnctiō, coniūnctiōn-, a joining, conjunction (in grammatical sense, translation of Greek sundesmos, binding together, conjunction), from coniūnctus, past participle of coniungere, to join; see conjoin.] con·junc'tion·al adj., con·junc'tion·al·ly adv.

Conjunction

Con*junc"tion\, n. [L. conjunctio: cf. F. conjunction. See Conjoin.]

1. The act of conjoining, or the state of being conjoined, united, or associated; union; association; league.

He will unite the white rose and the red: Smille heaven upon his fair conjunction. --Shak.

Man can effect no great matter by his personal strength but as he acts in society and conjunction with others. --South.

2. (Astron.) The meeting of two or more stars or planets in the same degree of the zodiac; as, the conjunction of the moon with the sun, or of Jupiter and Saturn. See the Note under Aspect, n., 6.

Note: Heavenly bodies are said to be in conjunction when they are seen in the same part of the heavens, or have the same longitude or right ascension. The inferior conjunction of an inferior planet is its position when in conjunction on the same side of the sun with the earth; the superior conjunction of a planet is its position when on the side of the sun most distant from the earth.

3. (Gram.) A connective or connecting word; an indeclinable word which serves to join together sentences, clauses of a sentence, or words; as, and, but, if.

Though all conjunctions conjoin sentences, yet, with respect to the sense, some are conjunctive and some disjunctive. --Harris.

conjunction

A word that joins words or groups of words. There are three kinds of conjunctions: coordinating, correlative, and subordinating. Coordinating conjunctions include and, but, or, not, yet, for, and so. Correlative conjunctions include the words in the pairs either/or, both/and, and neither/nor. Subordinating conjunctions begin subordinate clauses (see subordination) and join them to the rest of the sentence: “She didn't learn the real reason until she left the valley.”

conjunction 

conjunction   (kən-jŭngk'shən)  Pronunciation Key  The position of two celestial bodies when they have the same celestial longitude, especially a configuration in which a planet or the Moon lies on a straight line from Earth to or through the Sun. Planets in this position are not visible to the naked eye because they are in line with the Sun and obscured by its glare; the Moon in this position is new. ◇ The inner planets Mercury and Venus have two conjunction points with Earth. Either planet is at inferior conjunction when it lies directly between the Earth and the Sun, and is at superior conjunction when it lies directly opposite Earth on the far side of the Sun. The outer planets have only one conjunction point with Earth, when they lie opposite Earth on the far side of the Sun. Compare opposition. See more at elongation.

conjunction
AND

conjunction

in astronomy, an apparent meeting or passing of two or more celestial bodies. The Moon is in conjunction with the Sun at the phase of New Moon, when it moves between the Earth and Sun and the side turned toward the Earth is dark. Inferior planets-those with orbits smaller than the Earth's (namely, Venus and Mercury)-have two kinds of conjunctions with the Sun. An inferior conjunction occurs when the planet passes approximately between Earth and Sun; if it passes exactly between them, moving across the Sun's face as seen from Earth, it is said to be in transit. A superior conjunction occurs when Earth and the other planet are on opposite sides of the Sun, but all three bodies are again nearly in a straight line. Superior planets, those having orbits larger than the Earth's, can have only superior conjunctions with the Sun. Conjunctions of planets with one another are considered of great importance in astrology. See also opposition

Learn more about conjunction with a free trial on Britannica.com.