constellations

Noun

constellation (plural constellations)

1. An arbitrary formation of stars perceived as a figure (especially one from mythology) or pattern, or a division of the sky including it, especially one officially recognized by astronomers; an asterism.
   • Behold, the day of the Lord commeth, cruell both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land deſolate; and he ſhall deſtroy the ſinners thereof out of it. For the ſtarres of heauen, and the conſtellations thereof ſhall not giue their light: the ſunne ſhalbe darkened in his going forth, and the...1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 13:9–10, column 2
   1. (modern) Any of the 88 regions of the sky officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union, including all stars and celestial bodies in the region.
2. (figuratively) A configuration or grouping of related things.
   • [T]he program AppleWorks for the Apple IIe was released circa 1984. It combined a spreadsheet, database, and word processing program into one easy-to-use, low-cost integrated software package. This software constellation persists today as Microsoft Office, the most popular software tool set in...2010, Jason B. Ohler, “Becoming Digital: The Road to Digital Citizenship”, in Digital Community, Digital Citizen, Thousand Oaks, Calif.; London: Corwin, SAGE, →ISBN, part I (The Call to Digital...
   1. (figuratively) A wide, seemingly unlimited, assortment.
      • a constellation of possibilities
   2. (figuratively) An array of marks or items.
      • He had a constellation of bruises on his side.
   3. (figuratively) Synonym of complex (“a collection of ideas caused by repressed emotions that leads to an abnormal mental condition”).

See all 10 meanings of constellation