/ ˈperɪdʒiː; NAmE / noun
( astronomy ) the point in the orbit of the moon, a planet or other object in space when it is nearest the planet, for example the earth, around which it turns
—compare apogee
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WORD ORIGIN
late 16th cent.: from French périgée , via modern Latin from Greek perigeion close round the earth, from peri- around + gē earth.