armillary

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a nountechnical

   Made of rings or hoops, especially describing an old astronomical model whose rings stand for the circles of the heavens.

   Grammar: Comes before a noun, usually sphere: an armillary sphere.

   Patterns

   • armillary sphere
   • an armillary clock

   The museum displays an armillary sphere made of polished brass.

   Medieval scholars used an armillary model to show the paths of the stars.

   An armillary design decorated the garden sundial.

2. 2nouncountablespecialistrare

   Short for an armillary sphere, a model of the sky built from metal rings around a central point.

   Grammar: Used when the context already makes sphere clear: the armillary stood on the desk.

   Patterns

   • a brass armillary

   An old armillary stood on the scholar's desk.

   The antique shop sold an armillary for a high price.

   She built a small armillary for her science project.

Word forms

Common combinations

armillary sphere

The armillary sphere showed the equator and the tropics as rings.

brass armillary

A brass armillary shone in the library window.

antique armillary

He restored an antique armillary.

armillary dial

The garden has an armillary dial that tells the time.

Synonyms and how they differ

astrolabe

An astrolabe is a flat instrument for measuring the positions of stars, whereas an armillary is built from rings and shows their layout.

orrery

An orrery shows the planets moving around the sun, while an armillary sphere models the circles of the sky as seen from Earth.

celestial globe

A celestial globe is a solid ball showing the stars, while an armillary is open and made of rings.

Word family

armilla noun

a bracelet, from the same Latin root

armillaria noun

a genus of honey fungi with ring-like collars on the stem

Commonly confused: armillary or auxiliary?

Practice

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