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libration

 - 3 dictionary results

li⋅bra⋅tion

  [lahy-brey-shuhn]
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–noun Astronomy.
a real or apparent oscillatory motion, esp. of the moon.
Origin:
1595–1605; < L lībrātiōn- (s. of lībrātiō) a balancing. See librate, -ion

Related forms:
li⋅bra⋅tion⋅al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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li·bra·tion   (lī-brā'shən)   
n.  A very slow oscillation, real or apparent, of a satellite as viewed from the larger celestial body around which it revolves.

[Latin lībrātio, lībrātiōn-, oscillation, from lībrātus, past participle of lībrāre, to balance, from lībra, balance.]
li·bra'tion·al adj., li'bra·to'ry (-brə-tôr'ē, -tōr'ē) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

libration

in astronomy, an oscillation, apparent or real, of a satellite, such as the Moon, the surface of which may as a consequence be seen from different angles at different times from one point on its primary body

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

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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