armillary

American

[ahr-muh-ler-ee, ahr-mil-uh-ree] / ˈɑr məˌlɛr i, ɑrˈmɪl ə ri /

adjective

consisting of hoops or rings.

armillary British

/ ˈɑːmɪlərɪ, ɑːˈmɪlərɪ /

adjective

of or relating to bracelets

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of armillary

1655–65; < Latin armill ( a ) bracelet, hoop ( arm ( us ) shoulder ( arm ¹ ) + -illa diminutive suffix) + -ary

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Without a telescope, says Gysembergh, he must have used a sighting tube, known as a dioptra, or a mechanism called an armillary sphere.

From Scientific American

A crowded rink is a sweaty, wheeled armillary sphere.

From Washington Post

Static sculptures of Brahe’s so-called armillary sphere proliferate in public parks, but few if any allow for detailed measurements like the one in Santa Fe.

From Seattle Times

Ever heard of an armillary sphere, a radio latino or a theodolite?

From Washington Post

This steel-and-acrylic arrangement of mirrored circles and steel orbits suggests an armillary sphere laid flat; yet the X over the central circle is like the crosshairs in a gun sight.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023