dwarf planet

[dwawrf plan-it]

noun

Astronomy.

1. a spherical celestial body revolving about the sun, similar to a planet but not large enough to gravitationally clear its orbital region of most or all other celestial bodies. In 2006, the planet Pluto was reclassified as a dwarf planet.

dwarf planet

noun

1. any celestial body within the solar system that is larger than a satellite but smaller than a planet, and that orbits the sun

dwarf planet

1. A celestial body that orbits the Sun and is massive enough to assume a nearly spherical shape, but that does not clear other bodies from the neighborhood around its orbit and is not a satellite of a planet. Dwarf planets include Ceres, Pluto, and Eris. This category was created by the International Astronomical Union in 2006.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dwarf planet¹

First recorded in 1990–95