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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A unit of astronomical length based on the distance from Earth at which stellar parallax is one second of arc and equal to 3.258 light-years, 3.086 × 1013 kilometers, or 1.918 × 1013 miles.

Wiktionary

  1. n. astronomy, metrology parallax second

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. (Astron.) A unit of length used in describing astronomical distances, equal to 3.26 light years, or 3.086 x 1013 km. Abbreviated pc. The derived units of kiloparsec (kpc, 1000 parsecs) and megaparsec (mpc, one million parsecs) are often found in discussion of astronomical distances.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. a unit of astronomical length based on the distance from Earth at which stellar parallax is 1 second of arc; equivalent to 3.262 light years

Etymologies

  1. Contraction of parallax second. (Wiktionary)
  2. par(allax) + sec(ond)1. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “Why, for example, does Han Solo boast about his ship's speed by saying that it can do the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs when a parsec is in fact a measurement of distance rather than time?”

    Han Vs. Greedo: ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ Supervising Director Dave Filoni Knows Who Shot First » MTV Movies Blog

  • “A parsec is a unit of length in astronomy, approximately 3.262 light years in length.”

    Millenium Simulation

  • “In astronomy, the preferred unit of measurement for such distances is the parsec, which is defined as the distance at which an object will appear to move one arcsecond of parallax when the observer moves one astronomical unit perpendicular to the line of sight to the observer.”

    Ann Aguirre » Blog Archive » A day in the life – blog Jeopardy

  • “A parsec is the distance equal to light traveling for 3.26 light years.”

    Science Fiction or Science Fantasy: Who Ya Got? - Suvudu - Science Fiction and Fantasy Books, Movies, and Games

  • “(A parsec is the average distance the Earth has from the Sun, 93 million miles).”

    RVABlogs

  • “To avoid this confusion, it's best to remember that the parsec is a fi xed unit, based on the distance to an object that generates a parallax of one arc second as viewed from two points 1 AU apart.”

    Recently Uploaded Slideshows

  • “You should hear those pious warmongers curse a blue streak a parsec wide! live in a fantasy world if you must perhaps you should save your indignation for * actual warcrimes & corruption*, not pouting that language doesn't live up to your fantastical expectations? garsh diddily darn, if there aren't people who think the RAPE of the World & its international citizenry by the United States InvestorClass is somehow the * LESSER CRIME* than the language of allegory … ah, but there we have censorship: where whinging is their only art form & only means to exert influence over others.”

    Rezo.net

  • “And the fact that you managed to work the word 'parsec' in there makes it even more fun.”

    Star Wars Galaxy Map

  • “I'm sure it has a healthy audience of readers -- all those hard SF wonks who jeered when Han Solo used 'parsec' as a unit of time.”

    It's the story, stupid!

  • “The parsec is a unit of length, equal to just under 31 trillion kilometers (about”

    Recently Uploaded Slideshows

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synonyms (2)

Words with the same meaning

  1. parallax second
  1. second of parallax

hypernyms (1)

Words that are more generic or abstract

  1. astronomy unit

same context (15)

Words that are found in similar contexts

  1. decimeter
  2. maravedi
  3. light-year
  1. millimetre
  2. no-fly
  3. self/other
  1. test-ban
  2. nonaggression
  3. ifthe
  1. zirconia
  2. hort
  3. unsexy
  1. spline
  2. subduction
  3. waterflow

reverse dictionary (2)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. parallax second
  1. annual parallax

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Comments

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  • tomax I made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs! Nov 11, 2007

  • seanahan parallax arcsecond, thank god for abbreviations, though this one is fun to say. Jan 4, 2007

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‘parsec’ has been looked up 1325 times, loved by 1 person, added to 22 lists, commented on 2 times, and has a Scrabble score of 10.