Perigee

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpɛɹ.ɪ.d͡ʒiː/

Definitions

1. The nearest point in an elliptical orbit to the Earth is known as a specific location during a celestial body's path around the planet
2. In the context of orbital mechanics, it refers to the location where a celestial body is closest to Earth in its elliptical trajectory
3. The point in an orbit where an object is nearest to Earth, typically describing paths of moons or satellites

Etymology: "Perigee" is built from two Greek elements that look far more alike than their meanings suggest: "perí" means "near" or "around," and "gê" means "earth." The Greeks joined them to describe the point where a body in orbit comes closest to the Earth. The word passed into French as "périgée" and then into Latin as "perigeum" or "perigaeum," from which English took it. The sense has stayed remarkably literal. Where many scientific terms from Greek were coined to name abstract ideas, this one simply describes a place in the sky defined by its distance from the ground. Its opposite, "apogee," comes from the same kind of construction, with "apó" meaning "away from" in place of "perí."

Synonyms: closest point, near point

Antonyms: apogee