syzygy

From Late Latin syzygia (“conjunction”), from Ancient Greek συζυγία (suzugía, “union; syzygy”). This word was recognized as English in 1847 (in its astronomical meaning).

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɪz.ɪdʒ.i/

syzygy (plural syzygies)

1. (astronomy, astrology) A kind of unity, namely an alignment of three celestial bodies (for example, the Sun, Earth, and Moon) such that one body is directly between the other two, such as occurs at an eclipse.
2. (psychology) An archetypal pairing of contrasexual opposites, symbolizing the communication of the conscious and unconscious minds.
3. (mathematics) A relation between generators of a module.
4. (medicine) The fusion of some or all of the organs.
5. (zoology) The association of two protozoa end-to-end or laterally for the purpose of asexual exchange of genetic material.
6. (genetics) The pairing of chromosomes in meiosis.

• asterism
• occultation