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planet

A planet is a celestial body that revolves around a star. In our solar system, Earth is the third planet from the sun.

The word planet comes from the Greek planetes, which means "wanderer." Since ancient times, people have been fascinated by the wandering of celestial bodies in the night sky. If a variety of factors come together so that something works out well for you, you can say that the planets aligned. You parents weren't sure if your family was going to be able to go on vacation, but then the planets aligned and off to Florida you were.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: planet

1
 n
(astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto in order of their proximity to the sun; viewed from the constellation Hercules, all the planets rotate around the sun in a counterclockwise direction
2
 n
a person who follows or serves another
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: planet
1

n (astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto in order of their proximity to the sun; viewed from the constellation Hercules, all the planets rotate around the sun in a counterclockwise direction

Synonyms:
major planet
Examples:
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evening star
a planet (usually Venus) seen at sunset in the western sky
Earth
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
Jupiter
the largest planet and the 5th from the sun; has many satellites and is one of the brightest objects in the night sky
Red Planet
a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color
Mercury
the smallest planet and the nearest to the sun
Neptune
a giant planet with a ring of ice particles; the 8th planet from the sun is the most remote of the gas giants
Pluto
a small planet and the farthest known planet from the sun; it has the most elliptical orbit of all the planets
Saturn
a giant planet that is surrounded by three planar concentric rings of ice particles; the 6th planet from the sun
Uranus
a giant planet with a ring of ice particles; the 7th planet from the sun has a blue-green color and many satellites
Venus
the second nearest planet to the sun; it is peculiar in that its rotation is slow and retrograde (in the opposite sense of the Earth and all other planets except Uranus); it is visible from Earth as an early `morning star' or an `evening star'
Types:
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inferior planet
any of the planets whose orbit lies inside the earth's orbit
Jovian planet, gas giant
any of the four outermost planets in the solar system; much larger than Earth and gaseous in nature (like Jupiter)
Lucifer, Phosphorus, daystar, morning star
a planet (usually Venus) seen just before sunrise in the eastern sky
outer planet
(astronomy) a major planet whose orbit is outside the asteroid belt (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto)
superior planet
any of the planets whose orbit lies outside the earth's orbit
terrestrial planet
a planet having a compact rocky surface like the Earth's; the four innermost planets in the solar system
Type of:
celestial body, heavenly body
natural objects visible in the sky

n any celestial body (other than comets or satellites) that revolves around a star

Type of:
celestial body, heavenly body
natural objects visible in the sky
2

n a person who follows or serves another

Synonyms:
satellite
Type of:
follower
a person who accepts the leadership of another
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