elongation

[ ih-lawng-gey-shuhn, ih-long-, ee-lawng-, ee-long- ]

noun

1. the act of elongating or the state of being elongated.
2. something that is elongated.
3. Astronomy. the angular distance, measured from the earth, between a planet or the moon and the sun or between a satellite and the planet about which it revolves.

elongation

/ ĭ-lông′gā′shən /

1. The angular distance between two celestial bodies as seen from a third. Elongation is normally conceived as a measure of the angle formed between the Sun and a celestial body, such as a planet or the Moon, with Earth at the vertex. In terms of the celestial sphere, elongation is the distance between the Sun and the body as measured in degrees of celestial longitude. When the body lies on a direct line drawn from Earth to or through the Sun, its elongation is 0° and it is said to be in conjunction . It is said to be in quadrature when it lies at a right angle to a line between the Earth and Sun with an elongation of 90°, and it is in opposition when it lies on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun with an elongation of 180°. Superior planets (those that are farther from the Sun than Earth) have a full range of elongations between 0° and 180°. Inferior planets (those closer to the Sun than Earth) have limited elongations due to their smaller orbits; Venus has a greatest elongation of about 48°, while Mercury's greatest elongation is about 28°.
2. See more at conjunction

Other Words From

• none·lon·gation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of elongation¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin ēlongātiōn- (stem of ēlongātiō ), equivalent to ēlongāt ( us ) ( elongate ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

Using their technique, the team was able to observe, for the first time, the elongation of multiple pollen tubes within a living pistil and their unique attraction to female tissue.

From Science Daily

They found that CNTN4 not only contributes to neural elongation in the frontal cortex region of the brain, but also CNTN4 expression is regulated via a relationship with APP.

From Science Daily

He found that while the saber's bending strength -- how much force it can withstand before breaking -- remained about the same throughout its elongation, the saber's stiffness -- its deflection under a given force -- decreased with increasing length.

From Science Daily

To explore if the elongation of RNA, achieved by linking individual RNA units together, is regulated allosterically, the researchers altered the structure of the R3C ligase.

From Science Daily

"Regarding the ferric reductase activity of HYP1, our results demonstrate that this function is critical to prevent malate-induced Fe overaccumulation in the apoplast and to maintain cell elongation and meristem integrity in root tips exposed to low P," explains Dr. Ricardo Giehl.

From Science Daily