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orrery OR-uh-ree noun a model of the solar system that often operates using clockwork-like wheels and gears and which illustrates the relative orbits of the planets around the sun 1794Thomas PaineThe Age of ReasonAfter I had made myself master of the use of the globes and of the orrery, and conceived an idea of the infinity of space, and the eternal divisibility of matter, and obtained at least a general knowledge of what is called natural philosophy, I began to compare, or, as I have before said, to confront the eternal evidence those things afford with the Christian system of faith.1829VariousThe Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction (December 12, 1829)The mechanical ingenuity of Mr. Crawshaw has also been displayed in the construction of an orrery consisting of at least 1,000 wheels, which, by a single winch, turns all the planets in their respective periods…1897John MunroA Trip to Venus'We must consider their relative distances from the earth. By the way, I don't think you have seen my new electrical orrery.'1988Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry LeeCradleThe bright orb, the size of a giant beach ball, lifted itself into its proper place in the orrery and flooded the entire room with its radiance.Labels: Arthur C. Clarke, Gentry Lee, John Munro, Thomas Paine, Various
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Entry By: CJ Cooney
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perihelion PAER-uh-hee-lee-uhn noun a planet's orbital position at which point it is nearest to the sun 1909Garrett P. ServissCuriosities of the SkyThen the facts were made plain that comets are subject to the law of gravitation equally with the planets; that there are many which regularly return to the neighborhood of the sun (perihelion)… 1951Arthur C. ClarkeThe Sands of MarsHe finally gave up halfway through the book after coming across a page where the only sentence was 'Substituting for the value of perihelion distance from Equation 15.3, we obtain ...' All else was mathematics.1989Martin AmisLondon Fields...perihelion (when the earth is at its shortest distance from the sun)…Labels: Arthur C. Clarke, Garrett P. Serviss, Martin Amis
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Entry By: CJ Cooney
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neologism nee-AW-luh-ji-zuhm noun a new word; a new meaning for a word; a new expression; the nonsense word of a psychotic person 1950Arthur C. ClarkeSilence, Please!'I do not. I doubt if such a word exists, and if it does, it shouldn't,' retorted Purvis, with the aplomb of Sir Alan Herbert dropping a particularly revolting neologism into his killing-bottle.1993Victor MilanStar Trek: From the DepthsThe compulsive uttering of numbers, to which I presume your unwieldy neologism refers, is not a syndrome recognized by the Federation Psychiatric Union, Doctor.2000Iain M. BanksLook To WindwardWe are actually considerably less boreable, if I may create a neologism, than the average human.Labels: Arthur C. Clarke, Iain M. Banks, Victor Milan
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hibernaculum hai-bur-NA-kyuh-luhm noun a location for hibernation 1876John BurroughsWinter SunshineBy mid-October, most of the Rip Van Winkles among our brute creatures have lain down for their winter nap. The toads and turtles have buried themselves in the earth. The woodchuck is in his hibernaculum, the skunk in his, the mole in his; and the black bear has his selected, and will go in when the snow comes1968Arthur C. Clarke2001: A Space OdysseySometimes Bowman, as First Captain of Discovery, envied his three unconscious colleagues in the frozen peace of the Hibernaculum.1984Greg BearStar Trek: Corona...the probe floated from hibernaculum to hibernaculum, calculating the mass and complexity of each of the thirty frozen researchers.Labels: Arthur C. Clarke, Greg Bear, John Burroughs
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