Definition of "syzygy" []

• Astronomy Either of two points in the orbit of a celestial body where the body is in opposition to or in conjunction with the sun. (noun)
• Astronomy Either of two points in the orbit of the moon when the moon lies in a straight line with the sun and Earth. (noun)
• Astronomy The configuration of the sun, the moon, and Earth lying in a straight line. (noun)
• The combining of two feet into a single metrical unit in classical prosody. (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.

• "And I do not think this set of paired opposites, this syzygy, is unique to me."
• "I used to love the word syzygy because, in the Oxford Illustrated Dictionary, its definition (in the mathematical sense) went something like: "A group of rational, integral functions, which, when severally multiplied together, the sum of the products vanishes identically.""
• "Aww, I have liked the word syzygy for years now, and I AM surprised about its frequency in titles."