Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Popular Searches
on Ask.com
Nearby Entries
librational - 2 dictionary results

li⋅bra⋅tion

  [lahy-brey-shuhn]
Use librational in a Sentence
–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.
Cite This Source Link To librational
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.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see librational on Thesaurus | Reference