Cepheid variable

or cepheid variable

noun

, Astronomy.

1. a variable star in which changes in brightness are due to alternate contractions and expansions in volume.

Cepheid variable

/ ˈsiːfɪɪd /

noun

1. astronomy any of a class of variable stars with regular cycles of variations in luminosity (most ranging from three to fifty days). There is a relationship between the periods of variation and the absolute magnitudes, which is used for measuring the distance of such stars

Word History and Origins

Origin of Cepheid variable¹

First recorded in 1900–05; Cephe(us) + -id ¹