eclipse meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

eclipse

noun

/ɪˈklɪps/ · /iˈklɪps/

Etymology From Middle English eclipse, from Old French eclipse, from Latin eclīpsis, from Ancient Greek ἔκλειψις (ékleipsis, “eclipse”), from ἐκλείπω (ekleípō, “to abandon, go missing, vanish”), from ἐκ (ek, “out”) and λείπω (leípō, “to leave behind”). Doublet of eclipsis. See also ellipse, ellipsis.

Astronomy, Natural sciences An alignment of astronomical objects whereby one object comes between the observer (or notional observer) and another object, thus obscuring the latter.

Especially, an alignment whereby a planetary object (for example, the Moon) comes between the Sun and another planetary object (for example, the Earth), resulting in a shadow being cast by the middle planetary object onto the other planetary object.

Biology, Natural sciences, Ornithology A seasonal state of plumage in some birds, notably ducks, adopted temporarily after the breeding season and characterised by a dull and scruffy appearance.

Obscurity, decline, downfall.

a. 1618, Walter Raleigh, quoted in Eclipse, entry in 1805, Samuel Johnson, A Dictionary of the English Language, Volume 2, unnumbered page, All the posterity of our first parents suffered a perpetual eclipse of spiritual life.
As in the soft and sweet eclipse, When soul meets soul on lovers' lips.1820, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “Prometheus Unbound”, in The Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley, published 1839, page 340:

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Nor were the wool prospects much better. The pastoral industry, which had weathered the severe depression of the early forties by recourse to boiling down the sheep for their tallow, and was now firmly re-established as the staple industry of the colony, was threatened once more with eclipse.1929, M. Barnard Eldershaw, A House is Built, Chapter VIII, Section ii:
Aubrey was rapturous. All her other playthings went into eclipse and the doings of the Geezenstacks occupied most of her waking thoughts.1943, Fredric Brown, The Geezenstacks:
From the standpoint of the Buddhist historian, it would be futile to attempt to distinguish, on the basis of doctrine, between the T’ien-t’ai Buddhism of the Sui and the various T’ang schools, since they share common ideals. Yet despite the “T’ang” character of the T’ien-t’ai school, it entered an almost total eclipse during the first half of the T’ang dynasty.1973, Stanley Weinstein, “Imperial Patronage in the Formation of T’ang Buddhism”, in Arthur F. Wright, Denis Twitchett, editors, Perspectives on the T’ang, Yale University Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, pages 289–290; republished as “Imperial Patronage in the Formation of T’ang Buddhism”, in Paul W. Kroll, editor, Critical Readings on Tang China, volume 4, Brill Publishers, 2019, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 1646:

Derived terms: annular eclipse, eclipse glasses, eclipselike, eclipse plumage, lunar eclipse, partial eclipse, solar eclipse, total eclipse
Related terms: eclipsis, ecliptic, ecliptical, 🝵, 🝶, occultation, syzygy

eclipse

verb

Of astronomical or atmospheric bodies, to cause an eclipse.

The Moon eclipsed the Sun.
She turned to the casement on which the moon was shining; for the high wind had driven aside the clouds, whose huge dark masses threatened soon to eclipse the pale and dim circle of passing light.1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 184:

Figuratively To overshadow; to be better or more noticeable than.

For, till I see them here, by doubtful fear / My joy of liberty is half eclips'd.c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vi]:
[H]is ſupercilious glances grevv humbled, yea, his dazeling ſplendor (eclipſt in the ſetting [i.e., death] of his Maſter) becomes quickly darkned: […]1638, Tho[mas] Herbert, Some Yeares Travels Into Divers Parts of Asia and Afrique. […], 2nd edition, London: […] R[ichard] Bi[sho]p for Iacob Blome and Richard Bishop, →OCLC, book II, page 206:

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I wish I could prevail on Ethel to come up to London, if it were but for the sake of eclipsing her rival. I will stand godmother to the town's admiration, and promise and vow three things in its name:—first, that she will forget her faithless swain in the multitude of new ones; secondly, that she will be universally ran after; and, thirdly, that she will be brilliantly married.1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “The Coronation”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 8:
The name of the eclipsing girl, whatever it was, has not been handed down; but she was envied by all as the first who enjoyed the luxury of a masculine partner that evening.1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented […], volume I, London: James R[ipley] Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., […], →OCLC, phase the first (The Maiden), page 25:
The Util.System namespace eclipses the top-level System namespace.2005, Sean Campbell, Introducing Microsoft Visual Basic 2005 for developers, page 56:
Everything about her year-old restaurant […] reflects her love of bringing people to the table for good, simple food that's not eclipsed by bells and whistles.2007, Cincinnati Magazine, page 81:

Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences Irish To undergo eclipsis.

Derived terms: eclipsable, eclipser, noneclipsed, noneclipsing, uneclipsed

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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Conjugation of “eclipse”, all tenses