perilune

[ per-i-loon ]

noun
  1. the point in the orbit of a heavenly body that is nearest to the moon.

Origin of perilune

1
First recorded in 1955–60; peri- + -lune, from Latin lūna “moon,” on the model of perigee

Words Nearby perilune

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

British Dictionary definitions for perilune

perilune

/ (ˈpɛrɪˌluːn) /


noun
  1. the point in a lunar orbit when a spacecraft launched from the moon is nearest the moon: Compare apolune, pericynthion

Origin of perilune

1
C20: from peri- + -lune, from Latin lūna moon

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 perilune

perilune

[ pĕrĭ-lōōn′ ]


  1. The point at which an object orbiting the Moon, such as an artificial satellite, is closest to the Moon's center.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.