English Explanatory Dictionary

dwarf planet

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A planetary (world-like) body of the Solar system, that directly orbits the Sun like the classical planets but does not gravitationally dominate other bodies in the region of its orbit.

Pronunciation

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-dwarf planet.wav

Word forms

dwarf planet dwarf planets

Etymology

Coined by analogy with dwarf star, as part of a tripartite classification of planets: classical planets (the big 8 in the Sol system), satellite planets (planetary-mass moons) and dwarf planets. Redefined by the IAU in 2006 to be a category of sub-planetary objects.

Synonyms

planetoid quasi-planet sub-planet

Related words

dwarf planetary major planet planetary object satellite planet protoplanet
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on D Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary