eclipse
An alignment of astronomical objects whereby one object comes between the observer (or notional observer) and another object, thus obscuring the latter.
Other meanings
Especially, an alignment whereby a planetary object (for example, the Moon) comes between the Sun and another planetary object (for example, the Earth), resulting in a shadow being cast by the middle planetary object onto the other planetary object.
A seasonal state of plumage in some birds, notably ducks, adopted temporarily after the breeding season and characterised by a dull and scruffy appearance.
Related words
- eclipselike
- annular eclipse
- lunar eclipse
- solar eclipse
- eclipse glasses
- partial eclipse
- eclipse plumage
- total eclipse
Example sentences
Word history
From Ancient Greek "ἔκλειψις".
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “eclipse” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.