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occultation

[ ok-uhl-tey-shuhn ]
/ ˌɒk ʌlˈteɪ ʃən /
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noun

Astronomy. the passage of one celestial body in front of another, thus hiding the other from view: applied especially to the moon's coming between an observer and a star or planet.
disappearance from view or notice.
the act of blocking or hiding from view.
the resulting hidden or concealed state.

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Origin of occultation

1375–1425; late Middle English <Latin occultātiōn- (stem of occultātiō) a hiding, equivalent to occultāt(us) (past participle of occultāre to conceal, keep something hidden, frequentative of occulere;see occult) + -iōn--ion

OTHER WORDS FROM occultation

pre·oc·cul·ta·tion, noun

Words nearby occultation

occlusive, occlusive dressing, occlusive ileus, occlusive meningitis, occult, occultation, occult balance, occult blood, occult fracture, occult hydrocephalus, occulting light
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to occultation

blind, hideaway, covering, mask, privacy, cover, camouflage, disguise, secretion, front, curtain, obliteration, veil, cover-up, beard, wraps, laundromat, dissimulation, decline, shroud

Example sentences from the Web for occultation

British Dictionary definitions for occultation

occultation
/ (ˌɒkʌlˈteɪʃən) /

noun

the temporary disappearance of one celestial body as it moves out of sight behind another body
the act of occulting or the state of being occulted
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

Scientific definitions for occultation

occultation
[ ŏk′ŭl-tā′shən ]

The passage of one celestial object in front of another, temporarily blocking the more distant object from view. Occultations can provide information about the existence and measurements of the obscuring object. For example, when an asteroid passes in front of a star, the star is temporarily obscured to an observer on Earth, thus revealing the presence and approximate size of the asteroid. In 1977, astronomers were able to identify the rings around the planet Uranus when the otherwise invisible rings were observed to occult a background star. Occultations have also led to the discovery of more distant objects in space, such as binary stars and extrasolar planets. Compare transit.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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