しし座流星群
解説 Definition
leonid は、しし座流星群に属する流星を指す名詞です。毎年十一月ごろに見られる Leonids という流星群の一つ一つの流星について使われます。
A leonid is an individual meteor belonging to the Leonid meteor shower, whose meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Leo. Leonids are most commonly observed during the shower’s annual activity in November.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
Leo「しし座」と結び付け、leonid を「しし座の方向から来たように見える一個の流星」と覚えます。複数形で大文字の the Leonids は流星群全体、単数の a leonid はその一つです。a bright leonid、a faint leonid のように明るさを表す形容詞とよく組み合わせます。
Link leonid with Leo, the constellation of the Lion. Imagine one streak of light appearing to fly outward from Leo: that single meteor is a leonid. The distinction between number and capitalization is useful. The Leonids normally names the meteor shower as a whole, while a leonid refers to one member of it. Expressions such as a bright leonid, a faint leonid, and one leonid captured by a camera reinforce the countable use. Do not use the word for every meteor; it specifically identifies a meteor associated with this shower.
例文
A bright leonid crossed the sky just after midnight.
真夜中を過ぎたころ、明るいしし座流星群の流星が空を横切りました。
We waited on the hill until a leonid appeared.
私たちはしし座流星群の流星が現れるまで丘の上で待ちました。
The camera captured one faint leonid during the long exposure.
長時間露光の間に、カメラはかすかなしし座流星群の流星を一つ捉えました。
leonid の類義語・関連語
派生語
紛らわしい語
leonid の語源・成り立ち Etymology
ギリシャ語の「ライオン」leōnに、天文学で「～座由来の流星群」を示す接尾辞-idが結合しました。獅子座から降り注ぐ視点を語形で直感的に表し、命名理由が納得できます。同語根にはleonine（獅子の）やasteroid（小惑星）があります。
Leonid is based on Greek leōn, “lion,” through the name Leo, with the astronomical suffix -id. The name reflects the shower’s radiant in the constellation Leo: its meteors appear, from Earth, to originate in that part of the sky. The plural Leonids consequently became the established name of the shower, while singular leonid denotes one of its meteors. The suffix also appears in names for members of other meteor showers.
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