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apogeal

 - 4 dictionary results

ap⋅o⋅gee

  [ap-uh-jee]
Use apogeal in a Sentence
–noun
1. Astronomy. the point in the orbit of a heavenly body, esp. the moon, or of a man-made satellite at which it is farthest from the earth. Compare perigee.
2. the highest or most distant point; climax.
Origin:
1585–95; alter. (after F apogée) of earlier apogaeum < L < Gk apógaion (diástema) off-earth (distance), neut. of apógaios (adj.), equiv. to apo- apo- + gáïos of the earth, deriv. of gaîa, var. of gê the earth

Related forms:
ap⋅o⋅ge⋅al, ap⋅o⋅ge⋅an, ap⋅o⋅ge⋅ic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Cultural Dictionary

apogee [(ap-uh-jee)]

In astronomy, the point during the orbit of a satellite, such as the moon, at which it is farthest from the body being orbited. For planets in the solar system orbiting the sun, their farthest point from the sun is referred to as aphelion.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

apogee 
"point at which the moon is farthest from the earth, 1594, from Fr. apogée, from L. apogæum, from Gk. apogaion, neut. adj., "away from the earth," a term from Ptolemaic astronomy, from apo "off, away" (see apo-) + gaia/ge "earth."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Science Dictionary
apogee   (āp'ə-jē)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. The point farthest from Earth's center in the orbit of the Moon or an artificial satellite.

  2. The point in an orbit that is most distant from the body being orbited. Compare aphelion, perigee.


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