eclipse
/i'klips/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- An astronomical event where one celestial body moves into the shadow of another: An "eclipse" occurs when the light from one celestial body, like the Sun or Moon, is blocked by another body passing between it and the observer.
- A period of decline, obscurity, or diminished importance: Figuratively, an "eclipse" can describe a state of being overshadowed or surpassed in prominence, brilliance, or power.
Verb:
- To cause an eclipse of a celestial body: The action of one celestial body obscuring the light from another.
- To surpass or outshine, making something seem less significant: To so greatly exceed in quality, importance, or fame that something else is overshadowed or diminished by comparison.
Examples of Usage
Noun:
- We used special glasses to safely view the solar eclipse.
- The poet's early fame suffered a long eclipse after his controversial later works.
Verb:
- The Moon will eclipse the Sun tomorrow morning.
- Her stunning performance completely eclipsed the other actors on stage.
Advanced Usage
"To be in eclipse": To be in a state of temporary obscurity, decline, or diminished influence.
- After the scandal, the politician's career was in eclipse for several years.
"Total/partial/annular eclipse": Specific terms describing the type and extent of an astronomical eclipse.
- An annular eclipse occurs when the Moon is too far from Earth to completely cover the Sun, leaving a "ring of fire."
Variants and Related Words
Eclipsed (adj): Describing something that has been obscured or overshadowed.
- The eclipsed star was invisible for several minutes.
Ecliptic (n): The plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun; the apparent path of the Sun in the sky. Eclipses occur when the Moon's path crosses this plane.
Synonyms
- Noun: Obscuration, occultation, shadowing, decline.
- Verb: Outshine, overshadow, surpass, dwarf, obscure.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions
(Note: "Eclipse" is not commonly used with particles to form standard phrasal verbs. Its verbal uses are typically transitive.) - "To eclipse something/someone": The standard construction. - The new discovery threatens to eclipse all previous research in the field.
Related Idioms
- "A total eclipse of the heart": A famous song title that uses the astronomical term metaphorically to describe profound emotional darkness or loss.
Noun
- one celestial body obscures another
Verb
- cause an eclipse of (a celestial body) by intervention
- The Sun eclipses the moon today
- Planets and stars often are occulted by other celestial bodies
- be greater in significance than
- the tragedy overshadowed the couple's happiness