comet

/'kɔmit/

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Word: Comet

Part of Speech: Noun

Definition: A comet is a small body in space that is made mostly of ice and dust. Comets travel around the sun in a path that is often very elongated, or stretched out, which means they can come very close to the sun and then move far away from it. When comets come near the sun, they can create a glowing tail that is visible from Earth.

Usage Instructions:

• Use “comet” when talking about objects in space that have a tail and are made of ice and dust.
• You can describe the path of a comet as "highly elliptical," meaning it is not a perfect circle but more of an oval shape.

Example Sentences:

1. "Halley’s Comet is famous because it can be seen from Earth every 76 years."
2. "When the comet passed by, it lit up the night sky with its bright tail."

Advanced Usage:

• In scientific discussions, you might encounter phrases like "comet nucleus," which refers to the solid core of the comet, or "cometary activity," which describes the phenomena that occur when a comet approaches the sun.

Word Variants:

• Cometary (adjective): Relating to comets. Example: "The cometary tail is made of gas and dust."
• Cometlike (adjective): Resembling a comet. Example: "The cometlike object streaked across the sky."

Different Meanings:

• In a more figurative sense, "comet" can describe something that appears suddenly and is bright or exciting, like a person who becomes famous quickly.

Synonyms:

• There are no direct synonyms for "comet" in the context of astronomy, but you might hear "celestial body" when discussing space objects in general.

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

While there aren’t specific idioms or phrasal verbs that include the word "comet," you might hear phrases like "a comet of fame," referring to someone who rises to prominence quickly.

Summary:

A comet is an interesting object in our solar system, known for its icy composition and beautiful tails that can be seen from Earth.

Academic

Noun

1. (astronomy) a relatively small extraterrestrial body consisting of a frozen mass that travels around the sun in a highly elliptical orbit