plan|et

plan|et «PLAN iht», noun.

1. a) also major planet, a large, round body in the solar system that moves around the sun in an elliptical path. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) defines a planet as an object that orbits the sun, is round, and that has sufficient gravitational pull to clear other objects from the area of its orbit. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are the planets: »

The planets vary in size from Jupiter, which has a diameter 11 times as large as the earth's, to Mercury, with a diameter less than half that of the earth (Hyron Spinrad).

b) also dwarf planet, a large, round asteroid or planetoid. The IAU defines a dwarf planet as a round object that orbits the sun, but which has not cleared the area of its orbit of other objects. Except for Ceres, dwarf planets are generally found beyond the orbit of Neptune. c) also minor planet, an asteroid or planetoid, especially between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter: »

The minor planets differ from the major planets in having more eccentric orbits (Wasley S. Krogdahl).

2. any similar body revolving around a star other than the sun: »

Observe how system into system runs, What other planets circle other suns (Alexander Pope).

3. (in astrology) a heavenly body supposed to influence people's lives and events.

4. Figurative. anything thought to exert such influence.

5. Obsolete. one of the seven heavenly bodies (the sun, the moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) known since ancient times and distinguished by ancient peoples from the fixed stars in that they seem to move among the fixed stars, when viewed from Earth.

╂[< Old French planete, learned borrowing from Late Latin planētēs, plural < Greek planēs (astérēs) wandering stars < planâsthai to wander]

–plan´et|like´, adjective.