satellite definition | Dictionary.com

sat⋅el⋅lite

[sat-l-ahyt]

–noun

1.	Astronomy. a natural body that revolves around a planet; a moon.

2.	a country under the domination or influence of another.

3.	something, as a branch office or an off-campus facility of a university, that depends on, accompanies, or serves something else.

4.	an attendant or follower of another person, often subservient or obsequious in manner.

5.	a device designed to be launched into orbit around the earth, another planet, the sun, etc.

–adjective

6.	of, pertaining to, or constituting a satellite: the nation's new satellite program.

7.	subordinate to another authority, outside power, or the like: summoned to a conference of satellite nations.

Origin:
1540–50; 1955–60 for def. 2; < L satellit- (s. of satelles) attendant, member of bodyguard or retinue

Related forms:

sat⋅el⋅lit⋅ed, adjective

Synonyms:
4. follower, supporter, companion, associate; lackey, parasite, sycophant, toady, flunky.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source

Link To satellite

DIRECTV - #1 Satellite TV
Offer Expires 7/7: DIRECTV 150 ch $34.99/mo (1yr) + Free Install.
www.directv.com

DIRECTV Satellite TV Deal
DIRECTV Crushes Dish & Cable Get More For Your Money w/ DIRECTV

directv-deals.com

sat·el·lite (sāt'l-īt')

Astronomy A celestial body that orbits a planet; a moon.
Aerospace An object launched to orbit Earth or another celestial body.
A nation dominated politically and economically by another nation.
An urban or suburban community located near a big city.
1. One who attends a powerful dignitary; a subordinate.
2. A subservient follower; a sycophant.
Genetics A short segment of a chromosome separated from the rest by a constriction, typically associated with the formation of a nucleolus.
Microbiology A colony of microorganisms whose growth in culture medium is enhanced by certain substances produced by another colony in its proximity.

[French, hanger-on, hireling, from Old French, from Latin satelles, satellit-.]

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

Satellite

Sat"el*lite\, n. [F., fr. L. satelles, -itis, an attendant.]

1. An attendant attached to a prince or other powerful person; hence, an obsequious dependent. "The satellites of power." --I. Disraeli.

2. (Astron.) A secondary planet which revolves about another planet; as, the moon is a satellite of the earth. See Solar system, under Solar.

Satellite moth (Zo["o]l.), a handsome European noctuid moth (Scopelosoma satellitia).

Satellite

Sat"el*lite\, a. (Anat.) Situated near; accompanying; as, the satellite veins, those which accompany the arteries.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

Language Translation for : satellite

Spanish: satélite,

German: der Trabant,

Japanese: 衛星

More Translations »

satellite

In politics, a nation that is dominated politically by another. The Warsaw Pact nations, other than the former Soviet Union itself, were commonly called satellites of the Soviet Union.

satellite

In astronomy, an object, whether natural (such as the moon) or artificial (such as a weather observation satellite), that revolves around a central body. (See under “World Politics.”)

satellite

Any object in orbit about some body capable of exerting a gravitational (see gravitation) force. Artificial satellites in orbit around the Earth have many uses, including relaying communication signals, making accurate surveys and inventories of the Earth's surface and weather patterns, and carrying out scientific experiments.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

satellite

1548, "follower or attendant of a superior person," from M.Fr. satellite (14c.), from L. satellitem (nom. satelles) "attendant," perhaps from Etruscan satnal (Klein), or a compound of roots *satro- "full, enough" + *leit- "to go" (Tucker); cf. Eng. follow, which is constructed of similar roots. Meaning "planet that revolves about a larger one" first attested 1665, in reference to the moons of Jupiter, from L. satellites, which was used in this sense 1611 by Ger. astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630). Galileo, who had discovered them, called them Sidera Medicæa in honor of the Medici family. Meaning "man-made machinery orbiting the Earth" first recorded 1936 as theory, 1957 as fact. Meaning "country dependent and subservient to another" is recorded from 1800.

Main Entry: sat·el·lite
Pronunciation: 'sat-^&l-"It
Function: noun
1 : a short segment separated from the main body of achromosome by a constriction called also trabant
2 : the secondary or later member of a chain of gregarines
3 : a bodily structure lying near orassociated with another (as a vein accompanying an artery)
4 : a smaller lesion accompanying a main one and situated nearby
5 : a spectral line of lowintensity having a frequency close to that of another stronger line to which it is closely related (as by having a common energy level) —satellite adjective

satellite sat·el·lite (sāt'l-īt')
n.

A minor structure accompanying a more important or larger one.
A short segment of a chromosome separated from the rest by a constriction, typically associated with the formation of a nucleolus.
A colony of microorganisms whose growth in culture medium is enhanced by certain substances produced by another colony in its proximity.

satellite (sāt'l-īt') Pronunciation Key

(click for larger image in new window)

A small body in orbit around a larger body. See Note at moon.
An object launched to orbit Earth or another celestial body. Satellites are used for research, communications, weather information, and navigation. The first artificial Earth satellite was Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union in October 1957; the first successful American satellite was launched in January 1958.

Search another word or see satellite on Thesaurus | Reference

#1 Satellite TV Service
#1 Satellite TV Provider is DIRECTV Over 50MM Strong. Order Now.
compareDIRECTV.com

SAT Exam
Need help preparing for the SAT? Request free Info on the SAT exam.
SAT.do-something.com

sick of cable bills?
100channels - $9.99 a/mth for 6mths 15 movie channels/free4/3mths(hbo)

www.vmcsatellite.com/?aid=293967

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Advertise with Us · Link to Us · NASCAR® · Contact Us