orrery

American

[awr-uh-ree, or-] / ˈɔr ə ri, ˈɒr- /

noun

an apparatus for representing the positions, motions, and phases of the planets, satellites, etc., in the solar system.
any of certain similar machines, as a planetarium.

orrery British

/ ˈɒrərɪ /

noun

a mechanical model of the solar system in which the planets can be moved at the correct relative velocities around the sun

"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

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

orreries

plural

Etymology

Origin of orrery

First recorded in 1705–15; named after Charles Boyle, Earl of Orrery (1676–1731), for whom it was first made

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.

ORRERY, fifth Earl of, anecdote of the Duchess of Buckingham, iii.

From Life of Johnson, Volume 6 Addenda, index, dicta philosophi, etc. by Boswell, James

ORRERY, Earls of, a family of writers, v.

From Life of Johnson, Volume 6 Addenda, index, dicta philosophi, etc. by Boswell, James

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