Satellite

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /ˈsatÉ™lʌɪt/

Origin

From Middle French satellite, from Latin satelles ("attendant"). Ultimately perhaps of Etruscan origin.

Full definition of satellite

Noun

1. A moon or other smaller body orbiting a larger one. from 17th c.The Moon is a natural satellite of the Earth.A spent upper stage is a derelict satellite.
2. A man-made apparatus designed to be placed in orbit around a celestial body, generally to relay information, data etc. to Earth. from 20th c.Many telecommunication satellites orbit at 36000km above the equator.
3. A country, state, office, building etc. which is under the jurisdiction, influence, or domination of another body. from 19th c.
4. (now rare) An attendant on an important person; a member of someone's retinue, often in a somewhat derogatory sense; a henchman. from 16th c.
• 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II.3:We read in the Bible, that Nicanor the persecutor of Gods Law ... sent his Satellites to apprehend the good old man Rasias ....
• 1826, Walter Scott, Woodstock, page 348:...he would nevertheless have a better bargain of this tall satellite if they settled the debate betwixt them in the forest... . Betwixt anxiety, therefore, vexation, and anger, Charles faced suddenly round on his pursuer... .
• 1948, Willard E. Hawkins, The Technique of Fiction: A Basic Course in Story Writing, page 169:The unnamed chronicler in his Dupin stories was the first Dr. Watson type of satellite—a narrator who accompanies the detective on his exploits, exclaims over his brilliance... .
5. (colloquial, uncountable) Satellite TV; reception of television broadcasts via services that utilize man-made satellite technology. from 20th c.Do you have satellite at your house?

Derived terms

Usage notes

The man-made telecommunication objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon.

Anagrams

• telestial