penumbra

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“
It does enter a region of space called the penumbra, in which the Earth partially blocks the Sun.

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Definitions (10)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. noun A partial shadow, as in an eclipse, between regions of complete shadow and complete illumination. See Synonyms at shade.
  2. noun The grayish outer part of a sunspot.
  3. noun An area in which something exists to a lesser or uncertain degree: "The First Amendment has a penumbra where privacy is protected from governmental intrusion” (Joseph A. Califano, Jr.)
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Examples (50)

  • The Darksiders were primitives -- intelligent but mute, with a crude material culture -- and they were forced back gradually into the penumbra, the twilight between the two hemispheres. —  F ;SF; - vol 099 issue 06 - December 2000
  • If that comes up, maybe the "penumbra" argument can be used in counterbattery, but just when does the Left (who is all about "The FAIRNESS Doctrine") ever concede anything might need to be balanced to be fair? —  The Wide Awakes
  • It does enter a region of space called the penumbra, in which the Earth partially blocks the Sun. —  Museum Blogs
  • They're not, nor is there a "penumbra or emanation" which covers it. —  Cold Fury
  • The umbra is the dark region where no light falls and the penumbra is the grey area where some light falls due to various phenomena. —  Kottu
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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

compania ·  corazon ·  pluma ·  luz ·  enfermedad ·  littore ·  carga ·  sombra ·  nesciat ·  virtud ·  oxygenator ·  chiong
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. New Latin pēnumbra : Latin paene, almost + Latin umbra, shadow.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. from Latin pæne, pene, almost, + umbra, shade, shadow: see umbra.
 

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/pəˈnəmbrə/
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