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Definition of "perigee" []

  • The point nearest the earth's center in the orbit of the moon or a satellite. (noun)
  • The point in any orbit nearest to the body being orbited. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "perigee" in a sentence
  • "It's the closest the Moon has been to Earth in 18 years, a point in the orbit otherwise called a "perigee," from Latin for "violating moon restraining order.""
  • "At midnight she will be in perigee, that is, at her shortest distance from the earth, and at the same moment she will be crossing the zenith."
  • "The "anomalistic month" is the time occupied by the moon in travelling from its perigee, that is its point of nearest approach to the earth, round to its perigee again."