Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

oort cloud

/ˈɔːrt klaʊd/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.26 in modern English

Syllables
oort -cloud
IPA
/ˈɔːrt klaʊd/
12
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

name

The Solar System's Oort cloud, extending from 50,000 to 100,000 astronomical units (approximately 1 light year) from the sun; supposedly the source of most comets around the Solar System.

name

Alternative letter-case form of Oort Cloud (“the Solar System's Oort cloud”).

noun

A roughly spherical region of space composed of comet-like bodies and other minor planets and asteroids that orbit distantly in a planetary system.

Etymology

Named after the Dutch astronomer Jan Hendrik Oort, who revived the Estonian astronomer Ernst Öpik’s idea from 1932 of a reservoir of long-period comets in the form of an orbiting cloud at the outermost edge of the Solar System in 1950 to resolve a paradox about the origin of comets.

Inflected Forms

the Oort Cloud (canonical) Oort clouds (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

Kuiper disc Kuiper belt asteroid belt

Synonyms

Öpik-Oort Cloud

Questions

How do you pronounce oort cloud?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɔːrt klaʊd/.
What does oort cloud mean?
The Solar System's Oort cloud, extending from 50,000 to 100,000 astronomical units (approximately 1 light year) from the sun; supposedly the source of most comets around the Solar System.
Where does oort cloud come from?
Named after the Dutch astronomer Jan Hendrik Oort, who revived the Estonian astronomer Ernst Öpik’s idea from 1932 of a reservoir of long-period comets in the form of an orbiting cloud at the outermost edge of the Solar System in 1950 to resolve a paradox about the origin of comets.

How to pronounce oort cloud

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “oort cloud”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɔːrt klaʊd/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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