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synodic

American  
[si-nod-ik] / sɪˈnɒd ɪk /
Also synodical

adjective

  1. Astronomy. pertaining to a conjunction, or to two successive conjunctions of the same bodies.

  2. of or relating to a synod; synodal.


synodic British  
/ sɪˈnɒdɪk /

adjective

  1. relating to or involving a conjunction or two successive conjunctions of the same star, planet, or satellite

    the synodic month

"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

synodic Scientific  
/ sĭ-nŏd′ĭk /
  1. Relating to the conjunction of celestial bodies, especially to the interval between two successive conjunctions of a planet or the Moon with the Sun as viewed from Earth. For example, the new moon comes at the conjunction of the Moon with the Sun; the interval between successive new moons (the time it takes for the Moon to orbit the Earth and return to conjunction with the Sun) is the Moon's synodic period, also called a lunar month. Synodic time differs from sidereal time, which is measured in relation to the stars and is generally more appropriate to astronomical observation.


Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of synodic

1555–65; < Late Latin synodicus < Greek synodikós. See synod, -ic


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:

This prograde-to-retrograde cycle is known as a synodic period, and Mercury takes roughly 115 days to complete it.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 17, 2023

Venus takes about 584 days to complete one synodic period, while Mars takes about 780 days.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 17, 2023

These rotations are called the synodic cycles of the planets—their cycles relative to the sun.

From Scientific American ● Dec. 14, 2021

Lunar Year, a period of 12 synodic lunar months, being about 354.5 days.

From The Nuttall Encyclopædia Being a Concise and Comprehensive Dictionary of General Knowledge by P. Austin Nuttall

On the other hand, the exact time of the synodic revolution of the moon is 29d, 12h, 44m, 2.87s.;

From Our Calendar by George Nichols Packer

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