Apophis
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom Ancient Greek Ἄποφις (Ápophis), a borrowing from Egyptian ꜥꜣpp altered after ὄφις (óphis, “snake”).
Pronunciation
editThe pronunciation with stress on the second syllable is probably more common, but the version with initial stress is based on the Latin pronunciation and may be older.
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈæpəfɪs/, /əˈpɒfɪs/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈæpəfəs/, /əˈpɑfəs/
Proper noun
editApophis
- (Egyptian mythology) An evil snake-god who tries to devour the sun every night.
- Synonym: Apep
- (astronomy) An asteroid that formerly had a high risk of collision with Earth.
- 2021 May 10, Kenneth Chang, “Bye-Bye, Bennu: NASA Heads Back to Earth With Asteroid Stash in Tow”, in The New York Times[1], →ISSN:
- The spacecraft’s navigators have worked out a trajectory that would take it to the asteroid Apophis in April 2029, just after that object, a bit smaller than Bennu, zips within an uncomfortably close but still safe 20,000 miles from Earth.
Derived terms
editTranslations
editan evil snake-god who tries to devour the sun every night
See also
editFurther reading
edit- Apopis, britannica.com
- Apophis,(Apopis*10) at Google Ngram Viewer