Planet - Dictionary Definition and Overview

Planet :  (noun)
1: any of the celestial bodies (other than comets or satellites) that revolve around the sun in the solar system
2: a person who follows or serves another [syn: satellite]

Based on WordNet 2.0

Planet : \Plan"et\, n. [OE. planete, F. plan[`e]te, L. planeta, fr. Gr. ?, and ? a planet; prop. wandering, fr. ? to wander, fr. ? a wandering.] 1. (Astron.) A celestial body which revolves about the sun in an orbit of a moderate degree of eccentricity. It is distinguished from a comet by the absence of a coma, and by having a less eccentric orbit. See Solar system.

Note: The term planet was first used to distinguish those stars which have an apparent motion through the constellations from the fixed stars, which retain their relative places unchanged. The inferior planets are Mercury and Venus, which are nearer to the sun than is the earth; the superior planets are Mars, the asteroids, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, which are farther from the sun than is the earth. Primary planets are those which revolve about the sun; secondary planets, or moons, are those which revolve around the primary planets as satellites, and at the same time revolve with them about the sun.

2. A star, as influencing the fate of a men.

There's some ill planet reigns. --Shak.

Planet gear. (Mach.) See Epicyclic train, under Epicyclic.

Planet wheel, a gear wheel which revolves around the wheel with which it meshes, in an epicyclic train.

Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

Planet : 

["An Experiment in Language Design for Distributed Systems", D. Crookes et al, Soft Prac & Exp 14(10):957-971 (Oct 1984)].



Based on Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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