[suhn] 
,noun, verb, sunned, sun⋅ning.| 1. | (often initial capital letter ) the star that is the central body of the solar system, around which the planets revolve and from which they receive light and heat: its mean distance from the earth is about 93 million miles (150 million km), its diameter about 864,000 miles (1.4 million km), and its mass about 330,000 times that of the earth; its period of surface rotation is about 26 days at its equator but longer at higher latitudes. |
| 2. | the sun considered with reference to its position in the sky, its visibility, the season of the year, the time at which or the place where it is seen, etc. |
| 3. | a self-luminous heavenly body; star. |
| 4. | sunshine; the heat and light from the sun: to be exposed to the sun. |
| 5. | a figure or representation of the sun, as a heraldic bearing usually surrounded with rays and marked with the features of a human face. |
| 6. | something likened to the sun in brightness, splendor, etc. |
| 7. | Chiefly Literary.
|
| 8. | sunrise or sunset: They traveled hard from sun to sun. |
| 9. | Archaic.
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| 10. | to expose to the sun's rays. |
| 11. | to warm, dry, etc., in the sunshine. |
| 12. | to put, bring, make, etc., by exposure to the sun. |
| 13. | to be exposed to the rays of the sun: to sun in the yard. |
| 14. | against the sun, Nautical. counterclockwise. |
| 15. | place in the sun, a favorable or advantageous position; prominence; recognition: The new generation of writers has achieved a place in the sun. |
| 16. | under the sun, on earth; anywhere: the most beautiful city under the sun. |
| 17. | with the sun, Nautical. clockwise. |
sun (sŭn)  (click for larger image in new window) n.
v. tr. To expose to the sun's rays, as for warming, drying, or tanning. v. intr. To expose oneself or itself to the sun. [Middle English, from Old English sunne; see sāwel- in Indo-European roots.] |
The star around which the Earth revolves.
Note: The sun is about 4.5 billion years old and is expected to remain in its present state for approximately another six billion years; it will eventually evolve into a white dwarf.
sun (sŭn) Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) Often Sun. A medium-sized, main-sequence star located in a spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy, orbited by all of the planets and other bodies in our solar system and supplying the heat and light that sustain life on Earth. Its diameter is approximately 1.4 million km (868,000 mi), and its mass, about 330,000 times that of Earth, comprises more than 99 percent of the matter in the solar system. It has a temperature of some 16 million degrees C (27 million degrees F) at its core, where nuclear fusion produces tremendous amounts of energy, mainly through the series of reactions known as the proton-proton chain. The energy generated in the core radiates through a radiation zone to an opaque convection zone, where it rises to the surface through convection currents of the Sun's plasma. The Sun's surface temperature (at its photosphere) is approximately 6,200 degrees C (11,200 degrees F). Turbulent surface phenomena analogous to the Earth's weather are prevalent, including magnetic storms, sunspots, and solar flares. The Sun was formed along with the rest of the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago and is expected to run out of its current hydrogen fuel in another 5 billion years, at which point it will develop into a red giant and ultimately into a white dwarf. See Table at solar system. See Note at dwarf star. |
under the sun
see under everything but the kitchen sink; nothing new under the sun.
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