SYZYGY


Meaning of SYZYGY in English

ˈsizəjē, -ji noun

( -es )

Etymology: Late Latin syzygia, from Greek, literally, state of being yoked together, from syzygos yoked together, united (from syn- + zygon yoke) + -ia -y — more at yoke

1. : the nearly straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies (as the sun, moon, and earth during a solar or lunar eclipse) in a gravitational system

2. : a group of two coupled feet in Greek or Latin prosody:

a. : dipody

b.

(1) : a combination of two differing feet

(2) : a foot of four syllables (as the Ionic)

3. : a pair of correlatives, opposites, or otherwise related things ; especially : a pair of gnostic aeons male and female

the syzygy of Man and Church

4.

a.

(1) : the immovable union and partial concrescence of two joints of an arm of a crinoid to form a single segment

(2) : the segment so formed

b. : temporary end-to-end union of gregarines — compare primite , satellite

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.