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Webster 1913 Edition

Eclipse

E-clipse′

(ē̍-klĭps′)
,
Noun.
[F.
éclipse
, L.
eclipsis
, fr. Gr.
ἔκλειψις
, prop., a forsaking, failing, fr.
ἐκλείπειν
to leave out, forsake;
ἐκ
out +
λείπειν
to leave. See
Ex-
, and
Loan
.]
1.
(Astron.)
An interception or obscuration of the light of the sun, moon, or other luminous body, by the intervention of some other body, either between it and the eye, or between the luminous body and that illuminated by it. A lunar eclipse is caused by the moon passing through the earth’s shadow; a solar eclipse, by the moon coming between the sun and the observer. A satellite is eclipsed by entering the shadow of its primary. The obscuration of a planet or star by the moon or a planet, though of the nature of an eclipse, is called an
occultation
. The eclipse of a small portion of the sun by Mercury or Venus is called a
transit
of the planet.
☞ In ancient times, eclipses were, and among unenlightened people they still are, superstitiously regarded as forerunners of evil fortune, a sentiment of which occasional use is made in literature.
That fatal and perfidious bark,
Built in the
eclipse
, and rigged with curses dark.
Milton.
2.
The loss, usually temporary or partial, of light, brilliancy, luster, honor, consciousness, etc.; obscuration; gloom; darkness.
All the posterity of our fist parents suffered a perpetual
eclipse
of spiritual life.
Sir W. Raleigh.
As in the soft and sweet
eclipse
,
When soul meets soul on lovers' lips.
Shelley.
Annular eclipse
.
(Astron.)
See under
Annular
.
–
Cycle of eclipses
.
See under
Cycle
.

E-clipse′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Eclipsed
(ē̍-klĭpst′)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Eclipsing
.]
1.
To cause the obscuration of; to darken or hide; – said of a heavenly body;
as, the moon
eclipses
the sun
.
2.
To obscure, darken, or extinguish the beauty, luster, honor, etc., of; to sully; to cloud; to throw into the shade by surpassing.
“His eclipsed state.”
Dryden.
My joy of liberty is half
eclipsed
.
Shakespeare

E-clipse′

,
Verb.
I.
To suffer an eclipse.
While the laboring moon
Eclipses
at their charms.
Milton.

Webster 1828 Edition

Eclipse

ECLIPSE

,
Noun.
eclips'. [L. eclipsis; Gr. defect, to fail, to leave.]
1.
Literally, a defect or failure; hence in astronomy, an interception or obscuration of the light of the sun, moon or other luminous body. An eclipse of the sun is caused by the intervention of the moon, which totally or partially hides the sun's disk; an eclipse of the moon is occasioned by the shadow of the earth, which falls on it and obscures it in whole or in part, but does not entirely conceal it.
2.
Darkness; obscuration. We say,his glory has suffered an eclipse.
All the posterity of our first parents suffered a perpetual eclipse of spiritual life.

ECLIPSE

,
Verb.
T.
eclips'. To hide a luminous body in whole or in part and intercept its rays; as, to eclipse the sun or a star.
1.
To obscure; to darken, by intercepting the rays of light which render luminous; as, to eclipse the moon.
2.
To cloud; to darken; to obscure; as, to eclipse the glory of a hero. Hence,
3.
To disgrace.
4.
To extinguish.
Born to eclipse thy life.

ECLIPSE

,
Verb.
I.
eclips'. To suffer an eclipse.

Definition 2024

eclipse

eclipse

See also: éclipse, éclipsé, and eclipsé

English

An eclipse of the Sun by Saturn, seen from the Cassini orbiter

Noun

eclipse ‎(plural eclipses)

  1. (astronomy) An alignment of astronomical objects whereby one object comes between the observer (or notional observer) and another object, thus obscuring the latter.
  2. Especially, an alignment whereby a planetary object (for example, the Moon) comes between the Sun and another planetary object (for example, the Earth), resulting in a shadow being cast by the middle planetary object onto the other planetary object.
  3. A seasonal state of plumage in some birds, notably ducks, adopted temporarily after the breeding season and characterised by a dull and scruffy appearance.
  4. Obscurity, decline, downfall
    • a. 1618, Walter Raleigh, quoted in Eclipse, entry in 1805, Samuel Johnson, A Dictionary of the English Language, Volume 2, unnumbered page,
      All the posterity of our first parents suffered a perpetual eclipse of spiritual life.
    • 1820, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Prometheus Unbound, 1839, The Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley, page 340,
      As in the soft and sweet eclipse, / When soul meets soul on lovers' lips.
    • 1929, M. Barnard Eldershaw, A House is Built, Chapter VIII, Section ii
      Nor were the wool prospects much better. The pastoral industry, which had weathered the severe depression of the early forties by recourse to boiling down the sheep for their tallow, and was now firmly re-established as the staple industry of the colony, was threatened once more with eclipse.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

See also

Verb

eclipse ‎(third-person singular simple present eclipses, present participle eclipsing, simple past and past participle eclipsed)

  1. (transitive) Of astronomical bodies, to cause an eclipse.
    The Moon eclipsed the Sun.
  2. (transitive, figuratively) To overshadow; to be better or more noticeable than.
    The student’s skills soon eclipsed those of his teacher.
    • c. 1591, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part 3, Act 4, Scene 6, 1869, George Long Duyckinck (editor), The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, page 502,
      For, till I see them here, by doubtful fear / My joy of liberty is half eclips'd.
    • 2005, Sean Campbell, Introducing Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 for developers (page 56)
      The Util.System namespace eclipses the top-level System namespace.
  3. (Irish grammar) To undergo eclipsis.

Translations

Asturian

Etymology

From Latin eclīpsis.

Noun

eclipse m ‎(plural eclipses)

  1. eclipse

Galician

Etymology

From Latin eclīpsis.

Noun

eclipse f ‎(plural eclipses)

  1. eclipse

Latin

Noun

eclīpse

  1. ablative singular of eclīpsis

Old French

Alternative forms

Noun

eclipse m ‎(oblique plural eclipses, nominative singular eclipses, nominative plural eclipse)

  1. eclipse

References

  • (fr) Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle (1881) (eclipse)

Portuguese

Noun

eclipse m (plural eclipses)

  1. eclipse

Related terms

Verb

eclipse

  1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of eclipsar
  2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of eclipsar
  3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of eclipsar
  4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of eclipsar

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin eclīpsis.

Noun

eclipse m ‎(plural eclipses)

  1. eclipse
  2. disappearance

Related terms

Verb

eclipse

  1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of eclipsar.
  2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of eclipsar.
  3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of eclipsar.
  4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present subjunctive form of eclipsar.

Etymology

From Old French eclipse, from Latin eclīpsis, from Ancient Greek ἔκλειψις ‎(ékleipsis, “eclipse”), from ἐκλείπω ‎(ekleípō, “I abandon, got missing, vanish”), from ἐκ ‎(ek, “out”) and λείπω ‎(leípō, “I leave behind”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɪˈklɪps/, /iˈklɪps/
  • Hyphenation: eclipse

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