Definition of Comet

1. Noun. (astronomy) a relatively small extraterrestrial body consisting of a frozen mass that travels around the sun in a highly elliptical orbit.

Category relationships: Astronomy, Uranology
Terms within: Coma, Nucleus
Generic synonyms: Estraterrestrial Body, Extraterrestrial Object
Derivative terms: Cometary, Cometic

Definition of Comet

1. n. A member of the solar system which usually moves in an elongated orbit, approaching very near to the sun in its perihelion, and receding to a very great distance from it at its aphelion. A comet commonly consists of three parts: the nucleus, the envelope, or coma, and the tail; but one or more of these parts is frequently wanting. See Illustration in Appendix.

Definition of Comet

1. Noun. (astronomy) A celestial body consisting mainly of ice, dust and gas in a (usually very eccentric) orbit around the Sun and having a "tail" of matter blown back from it by the solar wind as it approaches the Sun. ¹

2. Noun. A celestial phenomenon with the appearance given by the orbiting celestial body. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Comet

1. a celestial body [n -S] : COMETARY [adj]

Lexicographical Neighbors of Comet

comes full circle
comes in
comes into
comes into being
comes on
comes out
comes out of the closet
comes through
comes to
comes to life
comes true
comes up
comest
comestible
comestibles
comet (current term)
comet sign
comet tail sign
cometabolism
cometabolisms
cometaria
cometarium
cometary
cometesimal
cometh
comether
comethers
cometic
cometlike
cometographer

Literary usage of Comet

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Popular Science Monthly (1893)
"ON the night of June 14, 1770, the great French astronomer Messier first saw the captive comet. It then appeared as a small patch of haze against the ..."

2. Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific by Astronomical Society of the Pacific (1895)
"The comets of 1894 have been : comet a (unexpected comet); discovered by Mr. WF ... The comet-Medal has been awarded to the discoverers of comets a, o, ..."

3. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London by Royal Society (Great Britain) (1872)
"I give the following observations of Encke's comet, and of the spectrum of its ... The comet presented the appearance of a nearly circular faint nebulosity, ..."

4. The Popular Science Monthly (1874)
"('i>K};ia"s comet.—The comet which lately made such a grand display in our northern heavens was discovered by Coggia, at Marseilles, on April 17th. ..."

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