apogee
[ ap-uh-jee ]
/ ˈæp əˌdʒi /
Save This Word!
noun
Astronomy. the point in the orbit of a heavenly body, especially the moon, or of a man-made satellite at which it is farthest from the earth.Compare perigee.
the highest or most distant point; climax.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Origin of apogee
1585–95; alteration (after French apogée) of earlier apogaeum<Latin <Greek apógaion (diástema) off-earth (distance), neuter of apógaios (adj.), equivalent to apo-apo- + gáïos of the earth, derivative of gaîa, variant of gê the earth
OTHER WORDS FROM apogee
ap·o·ge·al, ap·o·ge·an, ap·o·ge·ic, adjectiveWords nearby apogee
apodosis, apodous, apoenzyme, apoferritin, apogamy, apogee, apogeotropism, apograph, à point, apokatastasis, apolipoprotein
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for apogee
British Dictionary definitions for apogee
apogee
/ (ˈæpəˌdʒiː) /
noun
the point in its orbit around the earth when the moon or an artificial satellite is at its greatest distance from the earthCompare perigee
the highest point
Derived forms of apogee
apogean, adjectiveWord Origin for apogee
C17: from New Latin apogaeum (influenced by French apogée), from Greek apogaion, from apogaios away from the earth, from apo- + gaia earth
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 apogee
apogee
[ ăp′ə-jē ]
The point farthest from Earth's center in the orbit of the Moon or an artificial satellite.
The point in an orbit that is most distant from the body being orbited. Compare aphelion perigee.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for apogee
apogee
[ (ap-uh-jee) ]
In astronomy, the point during the orbit of a satellite, such as the moon, at which it is farthest from the body being orbited. For planets in the solar system orbiting the sun, their farthest point from the sun is referred to as aphelion.
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.