Chiron

or Chei·ron

[ kahy-ron ]

noun
  1. Classical Mythology. a wise and beneficent centaur, teacher of Achilles, Asclepius, and others.

  2. Astronomy. an asteroid located between Saturn and Uranus, about 100 miles (160 km) in diameter: discovered in 1977.

Words Nearby Chiron

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Chiron in a sentence

  • Unaspected Mercury can make you a loose cannon in group settings, until Friday, when it opposes Chiron.

    Your Week: What the Stars Predict | Starsky + Cox | August 28, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • Chiron would have made Achilles completely immortal but for the lack of the three drops of blood which you refuse me.

    Balsamo, The Magician | Alexander Dumas
  • When he came of age he set forth, with much good advice from Chiron, to reclaim his father's kingdom.

    Greek Sculpture | Estelle M. Hurll
  • To reward Chiron for his long service, the gods transferred him to the heavens as the constellation Sagittarius.

  • The best of the lot was Chiron, who to the wisdom and virtues of the horse added the fleetness of man.

    The Devil's Dictionary | Ambrose Bierce
  • Peggy did not know who Chiron was, but she caught the approving sound of the words, and waved her hand.

    Three Margarets | Laura E. Richards

British Dictionary definitions for Chiron

Chiron

Cheiron

/ (ˈkaɪrɒn, -rən) /


noun
  1. Greek myth a wise and kind centaur who taught many great heroes in their youth, including Achilles, Actaeon, and Jason

  2. a minor planet, discovered by Charles Kowal in 1977, revolving round the sun between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Chiron

Chiron

[ rŏn′ ]


  1. A large cometlike body with an orbit mostly between Saturn and Uranus. Discovered in 1977, Chiron was originally identified as an asteroid, but it has since been reclassified as a Centaur. Like a comet, Chiron has been observed to display a nebulous coma in its closest approach to the Sun, but at approximately 200 km (124 mi) in diameter it is far larger than any other known comet. See more at Centaur.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.