perigee
the point in the orbit of a heavenly body, especially the moon, or of an artificial satellite at which it is nearest to the earth.
Compare Meanings
Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.
Origin of perigee
1Other words from perigee
- per·i·ge·al, per·i·ge·an, adjective
Words Nearby perigee
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use perigee in a sentence
Falcon 9’s second stage deployed the satellites into their intended orbit, with a perigee of approximately 210 kilometers above Earth, and each satellite achieved controlled flight.
Solar Storm Knocks 40 SpaceX Satellites Out of the Sky, After the Company Ignored Scientists' Warnings | Jeffrey Kluger | February 10, 2022 | TimeAn habitual liar's nearest approach to truth: the perigee of his eccentric orbit.
The Devil's Dictionary | Ambrose BierceIt was a remarkable eclipse in that the Moon was within 13° of perigee and the Sun only 2° from apogee.
The Story of Eclipses | George ChambersThe Babylonians knew of the inequality in the daily motion of the sun, but misplaced by 10 the perigee of his orbit.
He used, however, the old word "perigee" (nearness to the earth) rather than the Newtonian "perihelion" (nearness to the sun).
The gradual acceptance of the Copernican theory of the universe | Dorothy Stimson
Where yet he noteth, that according to another Calculation, the perigee was March 27.
British Dictionary definitions for perigee
/ (ˈpɛrɪˌdʒiː) /
the point in its orbit around the earth when the moon or an artificial satellite is nearest the earth: Compare apogee (def. 1)
Origin of perigee
1Derived forms of perigee
- perigean or perigeal, adjective
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
Scientific definitions for perigee
[ pĕr′ə-jē ]
The point nearest Earth's center in the orbit of the Moon or an artificial satellite.
The point in an orbit that is nearest to the body being orbited. Compare apogee perihelion.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for perigee
[ (per-uh-jee) ]
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse