Standard Lemma guide

periastron

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /pɛɹɪˈæstɹən/

1

noun

Meaning 1

That point of the orbit of a celestial body which is closest to the star around which the body is orbiting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: astronomy, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Ancient Greek περί (perí, “around”) + ἄστρον (ástron, “star”).

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: периастрий (periastrij) — point of least separation between a celestial object and the star which it orbits
  • Finnish: periastron — point of least separation between a celestial object and the star which it orbits
  • Polish: peryastron — point of least separation between a celestial object and the star which it orbits