Galilean

1 of 2

adjective (1)

Gal·​i·​le·​an ˌga-lə-ˈlē-ən How to pronounce Galilean (audio) -ˈlā- How to pronounce Galilean (audio)
: of, relating to, or discovered by Galileo Galilei
Galilean satellites

Galilean

2 of 2

adjective (2)

Gal·​i·​le·​an ˌga-lə-ˈlē-ən How to pronounce Galilean (audio)
: of, relating to, or characteristic of Galilee
Galilean noun
plural Galileans

Examples of Galilean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Roughly the size of our own moon, Europa is the smallest of the four Galilean satellites and the second closest to Jupiter. Jay Bennett, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Oct. 2024 Now, four centuries later, Europa, Io, Ganymede and Callisto—known as the Galilean moons—are challenging stale conceptions about where clement, life-friendly conditions can exist. Nadia Drake, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2024 Humanity’s first good look at the four Galilean moons came with NASA’s Pioneer and Voyager probes in the 1970s. science.org, 19 Sep. 2024 As a result, the Galilean moons look nothing like dead worlds such as Earth’s own moon. Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 May 2024 Above the poem is an illustration of the Jovian system and its four Galilean moons, including Europa. Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024 Io is the third-largest of Jupiter's four Galilean moons and is the most volcanically active celestial body in our solar system, with roughly 400 active volcanos, according to the agency. Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 7 Feb. 2024 In the coming year, this will be the best time to see the planet: its four huge Galilean moons will be easily spotted in binoculars, and the banded storms striping its face will be visible in small telescopes. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2023 Those include the icy worlds of Europa and Ganymede and the fiery Io. Lo is slightly larger than Earth's moon and is constantly stretched and squeezed by the gravitational pull of Jupiter and the other Galilean moons. Julia Musto, Fox News, 16 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Galilean.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

galileo + -an entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

circa 1751, in the meaning defined above

Adjective (2)

1638, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Galilean was in 1638

Dictionary Entries Near Galilean

Cite this Entry

“Galilean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Galilean. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!