sign of the zodiac

[sahyn uhv thuh zoh-dee-ak]

noun

Astrology.

1. one of the twelve constellations along the apparent annual path of the sun in the sky.

2. (in contemporary Western astrology) one of the twelve divisions of the sun's apparent annual path in the sky, each representing a constellation under which a person can be born and which is said to influence or correlate with certain aspects of their life, personality, etc.

sign of the zodiac

noun

1. Also called: sign.  star sign.  sun sign. any of the 12 equal areas, 30° wide, into which the zodiac can be divided, named after the 12 zodiacal constellations. In astrology, it is thought that a person's psychological type and attitudes to life can be correlated with the sign in which the sun lay at the moment of his birth, with the ascendant sign, and to a lesser extent with the signs in which other planets lay at this time See also planet house

Word History and Origins

Origin of sign of the zodiac¹

First recorded in 1865–70