syzygy

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: syz=y=gy

CIDE DICTIONARY

syzygy, n. [L. syzygia a joining together, conjunction, Gr. syzygi`a; sy`n with + zeygny`nai to join, zygo`n yoke: cf. F. syzygie. See Yoke, n.].

•  The point of an orbit, as of the moon or a planet, at which it is in conjunction or opposition; -- commonly used in the plural.  [1913 Webster]
•  The coupling together of different feet; as, in Greek verse, an iambic syzygy.  [1913 Webster]
•  Any one of the segments of an arm of a crinoid composed of two joints so closely united that the line of union is obliterated on the outer, though visible on the inner, side.  [1913 Webster]
•  The intimately united and apparently fused condition of certain low organisms during conjugation.

Line of syzygies (Astron.), the straight line connecting the earth, the sun, and the moon or a planet, when the latter is in conjunction or opposition; -- used chiefly of the moon.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

syzygy, n. (pl. -ies)
1 Astron. conjunction or opposition, esp. of the moon with the sun.
2 a pair of connected or correlated things.

Etymology

LL syzygia f. Gk suzugia f. suzugos yoked, paired (as SYN-, zugon yoke)

ROGET THESAURUS

syzygy

Contiguity

N contiguity, contact, proximity, apposition, abuttal, juxtaposition, abutment, osculation, meeting, appulse, rencontre, rencounter, syzygy, coincidence, coexistence, adhesion, touching, (touch), borderland, frontier, tangent, abutter, contiguous, touching, in contact, conterminous, end to end, osculatory, pertingent, tangential, hand to hand, close to, with no interval.