[ sat-l-ahyt ]
/ ˈsæt lˌaɪt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR satellite ON THESAURUS.COM
noun
Astronomy. a natural body that revolves around a planet; a moon.
a country under the domination or influence of another.
something, as a branch office or an off-campus facility of a university, that depends on, accompanies, or serves something else.
an attendant or follower of another person, often subservient or obsequious in manner.
a device designed to be launched into orbit around the earth, another planet, the sun, etc.
adjective
of, relating to, or constituting a satellite: the nation’s new satellite program.
using an earth-orbiting satellite to transmit communications signals; transmitted or broadcast by satellite: satellite radio and TV.
subordinate to another authority, outside power, or the like: summoned to a conference of satellite nations.
QUIZZES
PRACTICE SOME ESCAPISM WITH THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!
We salute you if you remember all the doovers from Word of the Day between May 25 and May 31!
Question 1 of 7
salute
to call out to in order to stop, attract attention, ask aid, etc.
to wield power; exercise rule.
to express respect or praise for; honor; commend.
Origin of satellite
1540–50; 1955–60 for def 2; < Latin satellit- (stem of satelles) attendant, member of bodyguard or retinue
SYNONYMS FOR satellite
4 follower, supporter, companion, associate; lackey, parasite, sycophant, toady, flunky.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR satellite ON THESAURUS.COM
OTHER WORDS FROM satellite
sat·el·lit·ed, adjective
Words nearby satellite
satb, satchel, satcom, sate, sateen, satellite, satellite abscess, satellite broadcasting, satellite cell, satellite chromosome, satellite city
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Words related to satellite
moon, asteroid, planetoid, dependency, protectorate, rocket, spacecraft, luna, sputnik, ancillary
Example sentences from the Web for satellite
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Thus the report on the Guy Fawkes effigies, which also was picked up by RT, the English-language Russian satellite channel.
Think Putin’s Bad? Wait for the Next Guy|Anna Nemtsova|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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As a result, a satellite passing over a higher-mass region would speed up very slightly, and slow down over a lower-mass one.
Glaciers Lose 204 Billion Tons of Ice in Three Years|Matthew R. Francis|October 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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Clooney heads the Satellite Sentinel Project, which monitors human rights abuses.
After the Wedding: George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin in Venice|Barbie Latza Nadeau|September 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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The program, Satellite Sentinel Project, is designed to document and deter atrocities against civilians.
Meet Amal Alamuddin, George Clooney’s Wife|Lizzie Crocker, Chris Allbritton|September 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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All ISIS logistics and dispositions in the field are observable by drone and satellite.
How a Real Air War Could Demolish ISIS|Clive Irving|August 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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There were other dark markings visible, and the satellite presented the appearance of a miniature of Mars.
Astronomical Curiosities|J. Ellard Gore
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In any case it would be interesting to see whether the earth’s satellite submitted like herself to its magnetic influence.
From the Earth to the Moon, Direct in Ninety-Seven Hours and Twenty Minutes: and a Trip Round It|Jules Verne
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The moon is a satellite of the earth—it follows the earth like the little lamb followed Mary.
The Woodcraft Girls at Camp|Lillian Elizabeth Roy
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I knew not but that I might be metamorphosed to a planet or to a satellite; to be turned around in an eternal whirl.
Niels Klim’s journey under the ground|Baron Ludvig Holberg
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There’s now even some belief that it’s not a true planet, but one that was once a satellite of Neptune.
The Secret of the Ninth Planet|Donald Allen Wollheim
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British Dictionary definitions for satellite
satellite
/ (ˈsætəˌlaɪt) /
noun
a celestial body orbiting around a planet or starthe earth is a satellite of the sun
Also called: artificial satellite a man-made device orbiting around the earth, moon, or another planet transmitting to earth scientific information or used for communicationSee also communications satellite
a person, esp one who is obsequious, who follows or serves another
a country or political unit under the domination of a foreign power
a subordinate area or community that is dependent upon a larger adjacent town or city
(modifier) subordinate to or dependent upon anothera satellite nation
(modifier) of, used in, or relating to the transmission of television signals from a satellite to the housea satellite dish aerial
verb
(tr) to transmit by communications satellite
Word Origin for satellite
C16: from Latin satelles an attendant, probably of Etruscan origin
Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for satellite
satellite
[ săt′l-īt′ ]
n.
A minor structure accompanying a more important or larger one.
A short segment of a chromosome separated from the rest by a constriction, typically associated with the formation of a nucleolus.
A colony of microorganisms whose growth in culture medium is enhanced by certain substances produced by another colony in its proximity.
The American Heritage® Stedman’s Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for satellite
satellite
[ săt′l-īt′ ]
A small body in orbit around a larger body. See Note at moon.
An object launched to orbit Earth or another celestial body. Satellites are used for research, communications, weather information, and navigation. The first artificial Earth satellite was Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union in October 1957; the first successful American satellite was launched in January 1958.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for satellite (1 of 3)
satellite
In politics, a nation that is dominated politically by another. The Warsaw Pact nations, other than the former Soviet Union itself, were commonly called satellites of the Soviet Union.
Cultural definitions for satellite (2 of 3)
satellite
In astronomy, an object, whether natural (such as the moon) or artificial (such as a weather observation satellite), that revolves around a central body. (See under “World Politics.”)
Cultural definitions for satellite (3 of 3)
satellite
Any object in orbit about some body capable of exerting a gravitational (see gravitation) force. Artificial satellites in orbit around the Earth have many uses, including relaying communication signals, making accurate surveys and inventories of the Earth’s surface and weather patterns, and carrying out scientific experiments.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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