apogee

American  

[ap-uh-jee] / ˈæp əˌdʒi /

noun

1. 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.

2. the highest or most distant point; climax.

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apogee British  

/ ˈæpəˌdʒiː /

noun

1. the point in its orbit around the earth when the moon or an artificial satellite is at its greatest distance from the earth Compare perigee

2. the highest point

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apogee Scientific  

/ ăp′ə-jē /

1. The point farthest from Earth's center in the orbit of the Moon or an artificial satellite.

2. The point in an orbit that is most distant from the body being orbited.

3. Compare aphelion perigee

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apogee Cultural  

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• apogeal adjective
• apogean adjective
• apogeic adjective

Etymology

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

Compare meaning

How does apogee compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• apogee vs. perigee

Explanation

For an object in orbit around the earth, the apogee is the point that is highest or farthest from the earth. Early satellites had low apogees, so it wasn’t long before they burnt up in the atmosphere. Apogee comes from two Greek words meaning “away” and “earth,” so it’s specific to things orbiting the earth. If you’re talking about something orbiting the sun, the equivalent word is aphelion, “away” + “sun." Because apogee denotes the highest point something reaches in an orbit before falling back, it can also figuratively refer to other highs. For example, "Child stars sometimes reach their apogee by 20, and there's nowhere to go but down from there."

Example Sentences

The Moon's furthest point from the Earth is known as apogee.

From BBC • Nov. 14, 2024

Dickey Betts, the singer-musician whose versatile compositions helped define the apogee of Southern Rock in the '70s and '80s, died at age 80 in his Osprey, Florida home.

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2024

His political rise reached an apogee in 1976, when President Gerald Ford appointed Lozano as U.S. ambassador to El Salvador.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2023

In 1999, with the dot-com boom near its apogee, Angie’s List moved online.

From New York Times • May 14, 2023

Modern drawings of ancient cities tend to show them at an imagined apogee, the great monuments all splendidly arrayed together, perfect as architectural models.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• apex