planetarium

[ plan-i-tair-ee-uhm ]

noun,plural plan·e·tar·i·ums, plan·e·tar·i·a [plan-i-tair-ee-uh]. /ˌplæn ɪˈtɛər i ə/.
  1. an apparatus or model representing the planetary system.

  2. a device that produces a representation of the heavens by the use of a number of moving projectors.

  1. the building or room in which such a device is housed.

Origin of planetarium

1
1765–75; <New Latin, noun use of neuter of Latin planētāriusplanetary; cf. -arium

Words Nearby planetarium

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use planetarium in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for planetarium

planetarium

/ (ˌplænɪˈtɛərɪəm) /


nounplural -iums or -ia (-ɪə)
  1. an instrument for simulating the apparent motions of the sun, moon, and planets against a background of stars by projecting images of these bodies onto the inside of a domed ceiling

  2. a building in which such an instrument is housed

  1. a model of the solar system, sometimes mechanized to show the relative motions of the planets

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