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moonlet

American

[moon-lit] / ˈmun lɪt /

noun

a small natural or artificial satellite, as one of a number of natural satellites thought to be embedded in the ring system of Saturn.

Etymology

Origin of moonlet

First recorded in 1825–35; moon + -let

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:

moonlet

New research shows the spacecraft's deliberate collision with the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos in September 2022 also slightly changed the path of the entire asteroid system around the Sun.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 9, 2026

"We've got to find some way of stopping that moonlet forming that far out," Dhillon said.

From Scientific American ● Feb. 11, 2023

Its target was Dimorphos, a small asteroid that is a moonlet of 65803 Didymos, a slightly larger asteroid half a mile wide.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2022

It’s actually a moonlet of Didymos, Greek for twin, a fast-spinning asteroid five times bigger that flung off the material that formed the junior partner.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 26, 2022

It was a chance in a thousand for a direct hit, except for one added factor—the moonlet exerted enough gravity pull out of its many-million ton bulk to warp the rocket into its path.

From Shipwreck in the Sky by Eando Binder

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023