Meaning & use
perigee
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Meaning
nouncountabletechnical
The point in the orbit of the Moon or a satellite at which it is closest to Earth.
Grammar: Countable: use 'a perigee' or 'the perigee'; often followed by 'of'.
Patterns
- the perigee of something
- at perigee
- reach perigee
The satellite is at perigee today, so it appears larger and brighter.
The Moon's perigee brings it about 363,000 kilometers from Earth.
Engineers fired the thruster to raise the perigee of the orbit.
Word forms
| plural | perigees |
|---|
Common combinations
- at perigee
- The comet will be at perigee next week and visible to the naked eye.
- reach perigee
- The spacecraft reached perigee and began its descent.
- perigee of the Moon
- The perigee of the Moon causes higher-than-usual tides.
- raise the perigee
- Mission control decided to raise the perigee to avoid the debris.
Synonyms and how they differ
- periapsis
- Use 'periapsis' for the closest point in any orbit, not just around Earth; 'perigee' is specifically for Earth orbits.
Opposites
Word family
- apogee noun
- The point in an orbit farthest from Earth.
- periapsis noun
- The closest point in an orbit around any body.
Commonly confused: perigee or apogee?
perigee vs apogee
Apogee is the opposite: the farthest point from Earth. Don't mix them up—'peri-' means near, 'apo-' means away.
Practice
The satellite will be at ______ tomorrow, so it will be closest to Earth.
Choose one answer.
'Perigee' is the point closest to Earth. 'Apogee' is the farthest point, 'periapsis' is the general term for any body, and 'orbit' is the path itself.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “perigee”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.