Definition of planet Planet

/plæˈnʌt/ - [planut] - plan•et

We found 11 definitions of planet from 7 different sources.

What does planet mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: planets
planet - (astronomy) any of the nine large celestial bodies in the solar system that revolve around the sun and shine by reflected light; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto in order of their proximity to the sun; viewed from the constellation Hercules, all the planets rotate around the sun in a counterclockwise direction
		major planet
		celestial body, heavenly body natural objects visible in the sky
		solar system the sun with the celestial bodies that revolve around it in its gravitational field
		astronomy, uranology the branch of physics that studies celestial bodies and the universe as a whole
		biosphere the regions of the surface and atmosphere of the Earth (or other planet) where living organisms exist
		inferior planet any of the planets whose orbit lies inside the earth's orbit
		gas giant, jovian planet any of the four outermost planets in the solar system; much larger than Earth and gaseous in nature (like Jupiter)
		daystar, morning star, phosphorus, lucifer a planet (usually Venus) seen just before sunrise in the eastern sky
		outer planet (astronomy) a major planet whose orbit is outside the asteroid belt (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto)
		superior planet any of the planets whose orbit lies outside the earth's orbit
planet - any celestial body (other than comets or satellites) that revolves around a star
		celestial body, heavenly body natural objects visible in the sky
planet - a person who follows or serves another
		satellite

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Wiktionary

planet (Noun)
A large body which directly orbits any star or star cluster but which has not attained nuclear fusion .
planet (Noun)
In phrases such as the planet, this planet, sometimes refers to the Earth.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

planet (n.)
A celestial body which revolves about the sun in an orbit of a moderate degree of eccentricity. It is distinguished from a comet by the absence of a coma, and by having a less eccentric orbit. See Solar system.
planet (n.)
A star, as influencing the fate of a men.

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

planet
A large, heavy body, which does not produce energy by nuclear fusion, moving in a stable elliptical orbit around a star.

Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕

planet
plan′et, n. one of the bodies in the solar system which revolve in elliptic orbits round the sun.—n. Planetā′rium, a machine showing the motions and orbits of the planets.—adjs. Plan′etary, pertaining to the planets: consisting of, or produced by, planets: under the influence of a planet: erratic: revolving; Planet′ic, -al.—n. Plan′etoid, a celestial body having the form or nature of a planet: one of a number of very small planets, often called asteroids, moving round the sun between Mars and Jupiter.—adjs. Planetoi′dal; Plan′et-strick′en, Plan′et-struck (astrol.), affected by the influence of the planets: blasted.—n. Plan′etule, a little planet.—Minor planets, the numerous group of very small planets which is situated in the solar system between Mars and Jupiter. [Fr. planète—Gr. planētēs, wanderer—planān, to make to wander.]

Wikipedia

A planet is a large object such as Earth or Jupiter that orbits a star. It is smaller than a star, and it does not make light. Planets are ball-shaped (spheres). Objects that orbit planets are called moons. There are eight planets in the Solar System. Pluto used to be known as a planet, but in August 2006, a group of astronomers decided it should be called a dwarf planet instead. There are four more known ice dwarfs, Ceres, Makemake, Eris and Haumea.

The name "planet" is from the Greek word πλανήτης ("planetes"), meaning "wanderers", or "things that move". Until the 1990s, people only knew of those in the Solar System. As of January 2007, we know of 209 other planets. All of the newly found planets are orbiting other stars: they are "extrasolar" planets. Sometimes people call them "exoplanets".

In the Solar System.

The planets in the Solar System have names of Greek or Roman gods, apart from Earth, because people did not think Earth was a planet in old times. However, Earth is occasionally referred by the name of a Roman god: "Terra". Other languages, for example Chinese, use different names. Moons also have names of gods and people from classical mythology, or from the plays of Shakespeare.

Planets.

Here is a list of planets in the Solar System. They are ordered by how close they are to the Sun, nearest first.

Types of planets.

Astronomers speak about "major" (or true) planets, and minor planets, which are smaller objects that go around the Sun. Some examples of "minor plane