satellite

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Astronomy A celestial body that orbits a planet; a moon.
2. n. Aerospace An object launched to orbit Earth or another celestial body.
3. n. A nation dominated politically and economically by another nation.
4. n. An urban or suburban community located near a big city.
5. n. One who attends a powerful dignitary; a subordinate.
6. n. A subservient follower; a sycophant.
7. n. Genetics A short segment of a chromosome separated from the rest by a constriction, typically associated with the formation of a nucleolus.
8. n. Microbiology A colony of microorganisms whose growth in culture medium is enhanced by certain substances produced by another colony in its proximity.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A follower; particularly, a subservient or obsequious follower or attendant; a subordinate attendant.
2. n. An attendant moon; a small planet revolving round a larger one; a secondary planet. The earth has one satellite, the moon; Neptune is known to be accompanied by one; Mars by two; Uranus and Jupiter by four; Saturn by eight. Saturn's rings are supposed to be composed of a great multitude of minute satellites.
3. n. [In the above quotation the Latin plural satellites is used instead of the English plural.]
4. n. In geometry, a straight line bearing the following relation to another straight line. The satellite (also called the satellite line) of a given straight line, with reference to a given cubic curve in whose plane the straight line lies, is the straight line joining the three points at which the three tangents to the curve at the points of intersection of the first straight line with it again cut the curve. This is the definition of Cayley (Phil. Trans., 1857, p. 416), but it has the inconvenience that according to it every satellite line has two, four, or six primaries, while each primary has but a single satellite. For this reason, it might be well to interchange the applications of primary and satellite in the theory of plane cubics. In the diagram, ABC is the satellite line. From its intersections with the cubic curve tangents are drawn to the latter, AD, AE, BF, BG, CH, CI. The points of tangency lie three by three on four primary lines, FDH, DGI, EGH, FEI. The intersections of these with the satellite line are called the satellite points. Two are near H. The others are not shown.
5. n. In entomology, a satellite-sphinx.
6. n. There are thus 26 satellites of 6 planets, of which 25 have been discovered in modern times (since 1610) by 9 observers (Galileo 4, Cassini 4, W. Herschel 4, Lassell 3, Hall 2, Perrine 2, Pickering 2, others 1 each).
7. n. The point of intersection with a cubic curve of a tangent at a given point of the curve is this given point's satellite.
8. n. A vein accompanying an artery.
9. n. One of the smaller pathological formations which are associated with the primary larger one.
10. n. In gregarines, any member except the first in a chain-like association. Compare primite.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. An attendant attached to a prince or other powerful person; hence, an obsequious dependent.
2. n. (Astron.) A secondary planet which revolves about another planet. See Solar system, under Solar.
3. adj. (Anat.) Situated near; accompanying.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. any celestial body orbiting around a planet or star
2. adj. surrounding and dominated by a central authority or power
3. n. a person who follows or serves another
4. n. man-made equipment that orbits around the earth or the moon
5. v. broadcast or disseminate via satellite