Cepheus

[ see-fee-uh s, -fyoos ]

/ ˈsi fi əs, -fyus /

noun, genitive Ce·phe·i [see-fee-ahy] /ˈsi fiˌaɪ/ for 1.

Astronomy. a northern circumpolar constellation between Cassiopeia and Draco.

Also Kepheus. Classical Mythology. an Ethiopian king, the husband of Cassiopeia and father of Andromeda.

Related formsCe·phe·id

[see-fee-id] /ˈsi fi ɪd/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cepheid

And then for an instant, the Cepheid's bright wink was dulled; eclipsed.
The Women-Stealers of Thrayx|Fox B. Holden
We will install it in the 'S Doradus' and the 'Cepheid' as a weapon.
The Ultimate Weapon|John Wood Campbell
Shapley has estimated the distances of many of these bodies, which contain a large number of variable stars of the Cepheid type.
Astronomy|David Todd
Some stars pulsed, like the Cepheid variables, but in an orderly way.
The Egyptian Cat Mystery|Harold Leland Goodwin

They started down the corridor, and came presently to the huge locks where the "S Doradus" and the "Cepheid" were berthed.
The Ultimate Weapon|John Wood Campbell

British Dictionary definitions for cepheid (1 of 2)

Cepheus

/ (ˈsiːfjuːs) /

noun Latin genitive Cephei (ˈsiːfɪˌaɪ)

a faint constellation in the N hemisphere near Cassiopeia and the Pole StarSee also Cepheid variable

Word Origin for Cepheus

from Latin Cēpheus named after the mythical king

British Dictionary definitions for cepheid (2 of 2)

Cepheus

/ (ˈsiːfjuːs) /

noun

Greek myth a king of Ethiopia, father of Andromeda and husband of Cassiopeia

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

Word Origin and History for cepheid

Cepheid

type of variable star, 1904, from Delta Cephi, the name of the first such star identified, which is in the dim northern constellation Cephus, named for Greek Kepheus, a mythical king. With -id.

Science definitions for cepheid (1 of 2)

Cepheid

[ sē′fē-ĭd, sĕf′ē- ]

Any of a class of variable stars whose luminosity fluctuates with an extremely regular period. There is a strong correlation between the absolute magnitude of a Cepheid's luminosity and its period. By comparing the apparent magnitude of a Cepheid to the absolute magnitude corresponding to its period, it is possible to determine fairly accurately how distant the Cepheid is from Earth. Also called Cepheid variable

Science definitions for cepheid (2 of 2)

Cepheus

[ sē′fyōōs′, -fē-əs ]

A constellation in the Northern Hemisphere near Cassiopeia and Draco.