syzygy noun. ['sɪzɪdʒi] E17.
[Late Latin syzygia from Greek suzugia yoke, pair, copulation, conjunction, from suzugos yoked, paired, from sun- SYN- + stem of zeugnunai yoke.]
1. Prosody. A combination of two different feet in one measure, a dipody. E17.

2. Astronomy.
a. = CONJUNCTION 2. M17-E18.
b. Conjunction or opposition of two celestial objects; either of the points (in space or time) at which these take place, esp. in the case of the moon with the sun (new moon and full moon). Cf. QUADRATURE 3. E18.

3. A pair of connected or correlative things; spec. in Gnostic Philosophy, a pair of opposites or aeons. M19.

4. Zoology.
a. A suture or immovable union of two joints of a crinoid; the joints united in this way. L19.
b. The conjunction of two organisms without loss of identity; in sporozoans, close attachment of pairs of gametocytes prior to fusion. L19.

■ sy'zygial adjective (Astronomy & Zoology) pertaining to or of the nature of a syzygy or syzygies M19.

■ sy'zygium noun (Zoology) = SYZYGY 4b L19.

[TahlilGaran] English Dictionary ▲