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Definition of planetary - 3 dictionary results

plan⋅e⋅tar⋅y

[plan-i-ter-ee]
–adjective
1. of, pertaining to, or resembling a planet or the planets.
2. wandering; erratic.
3. terrestrial; global.
4. Machinery. noting or pertaining to an epicyclic gear train in which a sun gear is linked to one or more planet gears also engaging with an encircling ring gear.
–noun
5. Machinery. a planetary gear train.

Origin:
1585–95; < L planētārius. See planet, -ary
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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plan·e·tar·y   (plān'ĭ-těr'ē)   
adj.  
  1. Of, relating to, or resembling the physical or orbital characteristics of a planet or the planets.

    1. Of or relating to the earth; terrestrial or earthly: measured the planetary tilt in degrees.

    2. Of or affecting the entire world; global: a planetary consensus.

  2. Wandering; erratic: a planetary life.

  3. Being or relating to a gear train consisting of a central gear with an internal ring gear and one or more pinions.

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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Science Dictionary
planet   (plān'ĭt)  Pronunciation Key 
A large celestial body, smaller than a star but larger than an asteroid, that does not produce its own light but is illuminated by light from the star around which it revolves. In our solar system there are nine known planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Because of Pluto's small size—about two-thirds the diameter of Earth's moon—and its unusual orbit, many astronomers believe it should actually be classed as a Kuiper belt object rather than a planet. A planetlike body with more than about ten times the mass of Jupiter would be considered a brown dwarf rather than a planet. See also extrasolar planet, inner planet, outer planet.

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