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Fomalhaut

American  
[foh-muhl-hawt, -muh-loh] / ˈfoʊ məlˌhɔt, -məˌloʊ /

noun

Astronomy.
  1. a star of the first magnitude and the brightest star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus.


Fomalhaut British  
/ ˈfəʊməˌləʊt /

noun

  1. the brightest star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus, possessing a protoplanetary disc. Distance: 25 light years. Spectral type A3V

"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

Etymology

Origin of Fomalhaut

First recorded in 1585–95; from Spanish Arabic fam al-ḥawt “mouth of the fish”; so called from its position in the constellation Piscis Austrinus ( Latin , literally “southern fish”)

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.

See Examples For:

A second new object, called Fomalhaut cs2, appeared nearby, but its position ruled out the possibility that it was the same object reappearing.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 7, 2026

Over tens of thousands of years, Kalas explained, the region around Fomalhaut would appear to be filled with glowing debris, "sparkling with these collisions" -- similar to twinkling holiday lights.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 7, 2026

Wyatt estimates that roughly 300 million planetesimals of similar size orbit Fomalhaut.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 7, 2026

"Fomalhaut is much younger than the solar system, but when our solar system was 440 million years old, it was littered with planetesimals crashing into each other," Kalas said.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 7, 2026

Overhead, the bright globe of Fomalhaut shed its orange light over the rugged landscape.

From The Judas Valley by Randall Garrett

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