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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

gal·ax·y

Audio Help [gal-uh

k-see] Pronunciation Key

–noun, plural -ax·ies.

Astronomy.

a.	a large system of stars held together by mutual gravitation and isolated from similar systems by vast regions of space.

b.	(usually initial capital letter) Milky Way.

2.	any large and brilliant or impressive assemblage of persons or things: a galaxy of opera stars.

[Origin: 1350–1400; ME galaxie, galaxias < ML galaxia, galaxias, ult. < Gk galaxías kýklos the Milky Way; see galacto-

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
Galaxy

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

gal·ax·y Audio Help (gāl'ək-sē) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. gal·ax·ies

1. Any of numerous large-scale aggregates of stars, gas, and dust that constitute the universe, containing an average of 100 billion (10¹¹) solar masses and ranging in diameter from 1,500 to 300,000 light-years. Also called nebula.
2. often Galaxy The Milky Way.
An assembly of brilliant, glamorous, or distinguished persons or things: a galaxy of theatrical performers.

[Middle English galaxie, the Milky Way, from Late Latin galaxiās, from Greek, from gala, galakt-, milk; see melg- in Indo-European roots.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
galaxy

c.1384, from L.L. galaxias "Milky Way," from Gk. galaxis (adj.), from gala (gen. galaktos) "milk" (see lactation). The technical astronomical sense emerged 1848. Fig. sense of "brilliant assembly of persons" is from 1590. Milky Way is a translation of L. via lactea.

"See yonder, lo, the Galaxyë Which men clepeth the Milky Wey, For hit is whyt." [Chaucer, "House of Fame"]

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

galaxy
noun
1.	a splendid assemblage (especially of famous people)
2.	tufted evergreen perennial herb having spikes of tiny white flowers and glossy green round to heart-shaped leaves that become coppery to maroon or purplish in fall [syn: galax]
3.	(astronomy) a collection of star systems; any of the billions of systems each having many stars and nebulae and dust; "'extragalactic nebula' is a former name for 'galaxy'"

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
galaxy1 [ˈgӕləksi] noun — plural ˈgalaxies

a very large group of stars

Arabic:	مِجَرَّه
Chinese (Simplified):	星系
Chinese (Traditional):	星系
Czech:	galaxie
Danish:	galakse
Dutch:	melkweg
Estonian:	galaktika
Finnish:	linnunrata
French:	galaxie
German:	die Galaxie
Greek:	γαλαξίας
Hungarian:	tejút(rendszer)
Icelandic:	vetrarbraut, stjörnuþoka
Indonesian:	galaksi
Italian:	galassia

Japanese:	銀河
Latvian:	galaktika
Lithuanian:	galaktika
Norwegian:	galakse
Polish:	galaktyka
Portuguese (Brazil):	galáxia
Portuguese (Portugal):	galáxia
Romanian:	galaxie
Russian:	созвездие
Slovak:	galaxia
Slovenian:	galaksija
Spanish:	galaxia
Swedish:	galax
Turkish:	galaksi, yıldız kümesi, gökada

galaxy2 [ˈgӕləksi] noun

a large group of famous, impressive etc people, things etc
Example: a galaxy of entertainers; a galaxy of new cars

Arabic:	مَجموعَة من المَشاهير
Chinese (Simplified):	一群著名的人（物）
Chinese (Traditional):	一群著名的人, *物
Czech:	společnost, přehlídka
Danish:	stjernerække
Dutch:	schare
Estonian:	plejaad
Finnish:	loistelias joukko
French:	constellation
German:	glänzende Versammlung
Greek:	λαμπρή συγκέντρωση
Hungarian:	hírességek
Icelandic:	glæsilegur hópur
Indonesian:	kelompok
Italian:	costellazione

Japanese:	きら星
Latvian:	plejāde
Lithuanian:	plejada
Norwegian:	strålende forsamling
Polish:	plejada
Portuguese (Brazil):	constelação
Portuguese (Portugal):	galáxia
Romanian:	constelaţie
Russian:	плеяда
Slovak:	galaxia (slávnych ľudí)
Slovenian:	izbrana družba, skupina
Spanish:	constelación
Swedish:	lysande samling
Turkish:	seçkin topluluk

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

galaxy Audio Help (gāl'ək-sē) Pronunciation Key

Any of numerous large-scale collections of stars, gas, and dust that make up the visible universe. Galaxies are held together by the gravitational attraction of the material contained within them, and most are organized around a galactic nucleus into elliptical or spiral shapes, with a small percentage of galaxies classed as irregular in shape. A galaxy may range in diameter from some hundreds of light-years for the smallest dwarfs to hundreds of thousands of light-years for the largest ellipticals, and may contain from a few million to several trillion stars. Many galaxies are grouped into clusters, with the clusters themselves often grouped into larger superclusters. See more at active galaxy, See also elliptical galaxy , irregular galaxy , lenticular galaxy , spiral galaxy.
the Galaxy. The Milky Way.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
galaxy

A large, self-contained mass of stars.

Note: A common form for galaxies is a bright center with spiral arms radiating outward.

Note: The universe contains billions of galaxies.

Note: The sun belongs to the galaxy called the Milky Way.

[Chapter:] Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

Galaxy language
An extensible language in the vein of EL/1 and RCC.
["Introduction to the Galaxy Language", Anne F. Beetem et al, IEEE Software 6(3):55-62].
(1995-12-09)