earthshine

[ urth-shahyn ]

nounAstronomy.
  1. the faint illumination of the part of the moon not illuminated by sunlight, as during a crescent phase, caused by the reflection of light from the earth.

Origin of earthshine

1
First recorded in 1825–35; earth + shine1

Words Nearby earthshine

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

How to use earthshine in a sentence

  • One might have supposed that Fanny's influence had added a slim crescent of silvery light to her habitual earthshine.

    Memoirs of a Midget | Walter de la Mare

British Dictionary definitions for earthshine

earthshine

earthlight

/ (ˈɜːθˌʃaɪn) /


noun
  1. the ashen light reflected from the earth, which illuminates the new moon when it is not receiving light directly from 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