Eclipse Meaning
/ɪˈklɪps/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn alignment of astronomical objects whereby one object comes between the observer (or notional observer) and another object, thus obscuring the latter.
nounEspecially, 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.
Sentence Examples
An eclipse of the moon is a rare phenomenon.
An eclipse of the sun is a rare appearance.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Farmers worried the total solar ____ would harm their crops and livestock.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
An ____ of the moon is a rare phenomenon.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English eclipse, from Old French eclipse, from Latin eclīpsis, from Ancient Greek ἔκλειψις (ékleipsis, “eclipse”), from ἐκλείπω (ekleípō, “to abandon, go missing, vanish”), from ἐκ (ek, “out”) and λείπω (leípō, “to leave behind”). Doublet of eclipsis.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"As in the soft and sweet eclipse,
When soul meets soul on lovers' lips."
— 1820, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “Prometheus Unbound”, in The Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley, published 1839, page 340:
"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."
— 1929, M. Barnard Eldershaw, A House is Built, Chapter VIII, Section ii:
"Aubrey was rapturous. All her other playthings went into eclipse and the doings of the Geezenstacks occupied most of her waking thoughts."
— 1943, Fredric Brown, The Geezenstacks:
"From the standpoint of the Buddhist historian, it would be futile to attempt to distinguish, on the basis of doctrine, between the T’ien-t’ai Buddhism of the Sui and the various T’ang schools, since they share common ideals. Yet despite the “T’ang” character of the T’ien-t’ai school, it entered an almost total eclipse during the first half of the T’ang dynasty."
— 1973, Stanley Weinstein, “Imperial Patronage in the Formation of T’ang Buddhism”, in Arthur F. Wright, Denis Twitchett, editors, Perspectives on the T’ang, Yale University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, pages 289–290; republished as “Imperial Patronage in the Formation of T’ang Buddhism”, in Paul W. Kroll, editor, Critical Readings on Tang China, volume 4, Brill Publishers, 2019, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 1646:
"She turned to the casement on which the moon was shining; for the high wind had driven aside the clouds, whose huge dark masses threatened soon to eclipse the pale and dim circle of passing light."
— 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 184:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
Farmers worried the total solar ____ would harm their crops and livestock.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
An ____ of the moon is a rare phenomenon.