elongation

Synonyms

Antonyms

E`lon*ga"tion, n. Etym: [LL. elongatio: cf. F. élongation.] 1. The act of lengthening, or the state of being lengthened; protraction; extension. "Elongation of the fibers." Arbuthnot. 2. That which lengthens out; continuation. May not the mountains of Westmoreland and Cumberland be considered as elongations of these two chains Pinkerton. 3. Removal to a distance; withdrawal; a being at a distance; distance. The distant points in the celestial expanse appear to the eye in so small a degree of elongation from one another, as bears no proportion to what is real. Glanvill. 4. (Astron.) Defn: The angular distance of a planet from the sun; as, the elongation of Venus or Mercury.