solar eclipse

English

Etymology

From solar +‎ eclipse. First use appears c. 1602 in the writings of Thomas Blundeville.

Pronunciation

  • (General American) enPR: sōl'ər, IPA(key): /ˈsoʊlɚ ɪˈklɪps/
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈsəʊlə ɪˈklɪps/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Hyphenation: so‧lar‧e‧clipse

Noun

solar eclipse (plural solar eclipses)

  1. (astronomy) A phenomenon occurring when the Moon passes between the Earth and the sun.
    A solar eclipse is one of nature's most impressive sights.
    • 2017, Mark Littmann, Fred Espenak, “Ancient Efforts to Understand”, in Totality: The Great American Eclipses of 2017 and 2024[1], Oxford University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 38:
      The earliest reliable accounts of Chinese eclipses come from Spring and Autumn Annals (Ch’un-ch’iu), recording eclipses from 772 to 481 BCE, including a total solar eclipse in 709 BCE.

Translations

See also