ecliptic : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: ecliptic	by the DICT Development Group
3 results for ecliptic
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
ecliptic n the great circle representing the apparent annual path of the sun; the plane of the Earth's orbit around the sun; makes an angle of about 23 degrees with the equator; "all of the planets rotate the sun in approximately the same ecliptic"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Ecliptic \E*clip"tic\, n. [Cf. F. [82]cliptique, L. linea ecliptica, Gr. [?], prop. adj., of an eclipse, because in this circle eclipses of the sun and moon take place. See {Ecliptic}, a.] 1. (Astron.) A great circle of the celestial sphere, making an angle with the equinoctial of about 23[deg] 28[b7]. It is the apparent path of the sun, or the real path of the earth as seen from the sun. 2. (Geog.) A great circle drawn on a terrestrial globe, making an angle of 23[deg] 28[b7] with the equator; -- used for illustrating and solving astronomical problems.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Ecliptic \Eclip"tic\, a. [L. eclipticus belonging to an eclipse, Gr. [?]. See {Eclipse}.] 1. Pertaining to the ecliptic; as, the ecliptic* way. 2. Pertaining to an eclipse or to eclipses. {Lunar ecliptic limit} (Astron.), the space of 12[deg] on the moon's orbit from the node, within which, if the moon happens to be at full, it will be eclipsed. {Solar ecliptic limit}, the space of 17[deg] from the lunar node, within which, if a conjunction of the sun and moon occur, the sun will be eclipsed.