Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

constellation

/ˌkɑn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.37 in modern English

Syllables: con-stel-la-tion
IPA: /ˌkɑn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/

15

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

4

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An arbitrary formation of stars perceived as a figure (especially one from mythology) or pattern, or a division of the sky including it, especially one officially recognized by astronomers; an asterism.

noun

An arbitrary formation of stars perceived as a figure (especially one from mythology) or pattern, or a division of the sky including it, especially one officially recognized by astronomers; an asterism.

noun

A configuration or grouping of related things.

noun

A configuration or grouping of related things.

noun

A configuration or grouping of related things.

noun

A configuration or grouping of related things.

noun

A configuration or grouping of related things.

noun

A configuration or grouping of related things.

Example Sentences

"Behold, the day of the Lord commeth, cruell both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land deſolate; and he ſhall deſtroy the ſinners thereof out of it. For the ſtarres of heauen, and the conſtellations thereof ſhall not giue their light: the ſunne ſhalbe darkened in his going forth, and the moone ſhall not cauſe her light to ſhine."
"Up, up, faire Bride, and call, / Thy ſtarres, from out their ſeverall boxes, take / Thy Rubies, Pearles, and Diamonds forth, and make / Thy ſelfe a conſtellation, of them All."
"Next the cold Bears, (the Cauſe t' himſelf beſt knovvn) / Shines forth a kneeling Conſtellation. / Behind vvhoſe Back Arctophylax appears, / The ſame Boötes call'd, becauſe yoak'd Steers / He ſeeming drives; vvho through the rapid Skies / (Bearing Arcturus in his Boſome) hies."
"Harpa Georgii, or the Harp of George, is a new constellation introduced on the maps by one of the German astronomers, in honour of the late king of England, George III."
"Who can doubt that poetry will revive and lead in a new age, as the star in the constellation Harp, which now flames in our zenith, astronomers announce, shall one day be the pole-star for a thousand years?"
"Located 11,000 light-years away in the northern constellation Cassiopeia, Cas A is the remnant of a once massive star that died in a violent explosion 325 years ago."

Etymology

PIE word *ḱóm From Middle English constellacioun, constillacioun (“(astrology) position of the moon or a planet in relation to the ascendant sign of the zodiac; horoscope; (astronomy) formation of fixed stars, constellation; (astronomy) elevation or position of the sun”) [and other forms], borrowed from Old French constellation (modern French constellation), or directly from its etymon Late Latin cōnstēllātiōnem, the accusative singular of cōnstēllātiō (“collection of stars supposed to exert an influence upon human affairs, constellation”), from Latin con- (prefix denoting a bringing together of several objects) + stēlla (“star; meteor; planet”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr (“star”)) + -ātiō (suffix forming nouns).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *h₂eHs-, constellacioun, constellation, cōnstēllātiōnem, con-, *h₂stḗr

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌkɑn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/
British English: /ˌkɒn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

constellations (plural)

Derived Forms

constellate constellational constellationally constellationary constellationfish constellatory megaconstellation reconstellation subconstellation

Phrases

prime constellation seasonal constellation

Frequently Paired Words

stellar stellate stelliform stellify Appendix:Constellations :Category:Constellations

Synonyms

complex constellation configuration

Rhymes With

information education situation population station association administration operation organization nation location application

Questions

How do you pronounce constellation?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌkɑn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/.
What does constellation mean?: An arbitrary formation of stars perceived as a figure (especially one from mythology) or pattern, or a division of the sky including it, especially one officially recognized by astronomers; an asterism.
Where does constellation come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce constellation

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