zodiac
an imaginary belt of the heavens, extending about 8° on each side of the ecliptic, within which are the apparent paths of the sun, moon, and principal planets. It contains twelve constellations and hence twelve divisions called signs of the zodiac. Each division, however, because of the precession of the equinoxes, now contains the constellation west of the one from which it took its name.: Compare sign of the zodiac.
a circular or elliptical diagram representing this belt, and usually containing pictures of the animals, human figures, etc., that are associated with the constellations and signs.
a circuit or round.
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Origin of zodiac
1Other words from zodiac
- zo·di·a·cal [zoh-dahy-uh-kuhl], /zoʊˈdaɪ ə kəl/, adjective
- non·zo·di·a·cal, adjective
Words Nearby zodiac
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use zodiac in a sentence
Police have determined that the zodiac Killer is responsible for the deaths of at least five victims around San Francisco in the late 1960s.
Letters From ‘Chinese Zodiac Killer’ to Albany Outlets Put FBI on Alert | Barbie Latza Nadeau | December 10, 2021 | The Daily BeastOnline searches for zodiac signs and birth charts hit a five-year peak in 2020, according to Google Trends.
High-Tech Astrology Apps Claim to Be More Personalized Than Ever. Gen Z-ers Are Turning Out to Be Believers | Raisa Bruner | July 23, 2021 | TimeThe zodiac mod vaporizer I admired behind the glass in BeyondVape is gorgeous, but it also costs $220.
Leo is strategic, the queen on the chessboard, the prime mover of the zodiac.
zodiac signs correspond to seven-year spans of life; Cancer, with college and coming of age.
From the resourceful rat to the fertile pig, the 12 zodiac heads ostensibly represent different periods in the Chinese calendar.
'Circle of Animals': Sculptures of a Silenced Artist | Lizzie Crocker | May 5, 2011 | THE DAILY BEASTThis second zodiac sign rules the human age of innocence, 7-14 years.
The detrimentum is the sign of the zodiac opposite to the planet's mansion.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems | Geoffrey ChaucerThis shews that Mars was, at first, further advanced than Venus along the zodiac.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems | Geoffrey ChaucerThe signs of the zodiac were worshipped, and the constellations not in that important circle did not go without adoration.
Archaic England | Harold BayleyIt may be found on the outside, or square planisphere, of the zodiac of the Temple of Denderah.
Scarabs | Isaac MyerThe zodiac is the zone of stars traversed by the Sun in the course of a year.
Astronomy for Amateurs | Camille Flammarion
British Dictionary definitions for zodiac
/ (ˈzəʊdɪˌæk) /
an imaginary belt extending 8° either side of the ecliptic, which contains the 12 zodiacal constellations and within which the moon and planets appear to move. It is divided into 12 equal areas, called signs of the zodiac, each named after the constellation which once lay in it: See zodiacal constellation
astrology a diagram, usually circular, representing this belt and showing the symbols, illustrations, etc, associated with each of the 12 signs of the zodiac, used to predict the future
rare a complete circuit; circle
Origin of zodiac
1Derived forms of zodiac
- zodiacal (zəʊˈdaɪəkəl), adjective
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 zodiac
[ zō′dē-ăk′ ]
A band of the celestial sphere extending about eight degrees north and south of the ecliptic, representing the portion of the sky within which the paths of the Sun, the Moon, and the planets are found. In astrology, the zodiac is divided into 12 equal segments, each of which is named after a constellation through which the ecliptic passes in that region of the sky. The traditional beginning point of constellations is Aries, followed in calendrical order by Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. See also equinox.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for zodiac (1 of 2)
A band of the sky along which the sun, the moon, and most of the planets move. It is divided into twelve parts, with each part named for a nearby constellation.
Notes for zodiac
The imaginary band in the sky through which the sun, the moon, and the planets appear to move. The twelve constellations in the band (Aquarius, Pisces, and so on) are the familiar signs of the zodiac used in astrology.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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