orrery

American

[awr-uh-ree, or-] / ˈɔr ə ri, ˈɒr- /

noun

an apparatus for representing the positions, motions, and phases of the planets, satellites, etc., in the solar system.
any of certain similar machines, as a planetarium.

orrery British

/ ˈɒrərɪ /

noun

a mechanical model of the solar system in which the planets can be moved at the correct relative velocities around the sun

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

orreries

plural

Etymology

Origin of orrery

First recorded in 1705–15; named after Charles Boyle, Earl of Orrery (1676–1731), for whom it was first made

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

ORRERY, Earls of, a family of writers, v.

From Life of Johnson, Volume 6 Addenda, index, dicta philosophi, etc. by Boswell, James

ORRERY, fifth Earl of, anecdote of the Duchess of Buckingham, iii.

From Life of Johnson, Volume 6 Addenda, index, dicta philosophi, etc. by Boswell, James

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023