Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dwarf planet

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.70 in modern English

Syllables
dwar-f -plan-et
IPA
20
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A planetary (world-like) body of the Solar system, that directly orbits the Sun like the classical planets but does not gravitationally dominate other bodies in the region of its orbit.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Coined by analogy with dwarf star, as part of a tripartite classification of planets: classical planets (the big 8 in the Sol system), satellite planets (planetary-mass moons) and dwarf planets. Redefined by the IAU in 2006 to be a category of sub-planetary objects.

Inflected Forms

dwarf planets (plural)

Phrases

dwarf planetary major planet planetary object satellite planet

Frequently Paired Words

dwarf planetary major planet planetary object satellite planet protoplanet

Synonyms

planetoid quasi-planet sub-planet

Questions

What does dwarf planet mean?
A planetary (world-like) body of the Solar system, that directly orbits the Sun like the classical planets but does not gravitationally dominate other bodies in the region of its orbit.
Where does dwarf planet come from?
Coined by analogy with dwarf star, as part of a tripartite classification of planets: classical planets (the big 8 in the Sol system), satellite planets (planetary-mass moons) and dwarf planets. Redefined by the IAU in 2006 to be a category of sub-planetary objects.

How to pronounce dwarf planet

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