elongation

[ih-lawng-gey-shuh n, ih-long-, ee-lawng-, ee-long-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR elongation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of elongating or the state of being elongated.

something that is elongated.

Astronomy. the angular distance, measured from the earth, between a planet or the moon and the sun or between a satellite and the planet about which it revolves.

Origin of elongation

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin ēlongātiōn- (stem of ēlongātiō), equivalent to ēlongāt(us) (see elongate) + -iōn- -ion

Related formsnon·e·lon·ga·tion, noun

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

Related Words for elongation

prolongation, protraction, continuation, expansion

Examples from the Web for elongation

Contemporary Examples of elongation

Though when the cleavage is covered-up, embellishments and elongation come out in full-force.
Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, Vibram: Toe Shoes Are In for Spring!
Misty White Sidell
April 12, 2012

Historical Examples of elongation

The history of the plough goes back to the elongation of a bent stick.
Progress and History
Various
That can be due only to the strain of elongation produced by the stress of tension.
The Aeroplane Speaks
H. Barber
A haughty spirit seemed to rise in her by the mere process of the elongation.
The Dust Flower
Basil King
The awn or beard is merely an elongation of the palea inferior.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 4
Various
The elongation of the crown is also similar to what is termed hypsodont.
Men of the Old Stone Age
Henry Fairfield Osborn

British Dictionary definitions for elongation

elongation

noun

the act of elongating or state of being elongated; lengthening

something that is elongated

astronomy the difference between the celestial longitude of the sun and that of a planet or the moon

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 elongation

late 14c., from Late Latin elongationem (nominative elongatio), noun of action from elongare "remove to a distance," from Latin ex- "out" (see ex-) + longus "long" (see long (adj.)).

elongation in Science

elongation

[ĭ-lông′gā′shən]

The angular distance between two celestial bodies as seen from a third. Elongation is normally conceived as a measure of the angle formed between the Sun and a celestial body, such as a planet or the Moon, with Earth at the vertex. In terms of the celestial sphere, elongation is the distance between the Sun and the body as measured in degrees of celestial longitude. When the body lies on a direct line drawn from Earth to or through the Sun, its elongation is 0° and it is said to be in conjunction. It is said to be in quadrature when it lies at a right angle to a line between the Earth and Sun with an elongation of 90°, and it is in opposition when it lies on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun with an elongation of 180°. Superior planets (those that are farther from the Sun than Earth) have a full range of elongations between 0° and 180°. Inferior planets (those closer to the Sun than Earth) have limited elongations due to their smaller orbits; Venus has a greatest elongation of about 48°, while Mercury's greatest elongation is about 28°. See more at conjunction opposition.