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Apophis

American  
[uh-poh-fis] / əˈpoʊ fɪs /

noun

Egyptian Mythology.
  1. a demon serpent of darkness whom Ra, as sun god, destroys every morning at dawn.


Etymology

Origin of Apophis

< Greek Ápophis < Egyptian; see Apepi

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The most serious near-miss, and the closest comparison with YR4, was an asteroid called Apophis which was first spotted in 2004 and measured 375 meters across, or around the size of a cruise ship.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2025

Though that possibility has been decisively ruled out, Apophis is still on track to come closer to Earth than has any object of its size in recorded history.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2023

Meanwhile, OSIRIS-Rex is now chasing a new target — a near-Earth asteroid named Apophis.

From DOGO News • Oct. 4, 2023

The OSIRIS-REx will now be called OSIRIS-APEX, and it will travel to another asteroid, called Apophis, to study it.

From NewsForKids.net • Sep. 26, 2023

The Egyptian Apophis was a monstrous snake, as were also, originally at least, the Greek dracontes.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 6 "Dodwell" to "Drama" by Various