Moonlets

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Small celestial objects that revolve around a more massive planet
2. Tiny cosmic formations that function as companions to a principal planetary body
3. Small natural satellites that orbit a larger planet in space

Etymology: The word is a plain formation: "moon" plus the diminutive suffix "-let," which English took from Old French "-elet" (itself from Late Latin "-ittus" via a Latin diminutive ending). The suffix gives a sense of "small" or "little," so "moonlet" is literally a little moon, and it appears in English as a compound of "moon" with "-let," a pattern familiar from words like "booklet," "piglet," and "droplet." "Moonlets" is simply the plural of that noun. The "moon" element descends from Old English "mōna," which traces back through Proto-Germanic to a very old Indo-European root for the moon and for measuring time, reflecting the moon's role as a monthly calendar.

Synonyms: satellites, moons, small moons, natural satellites, orbiters