Added 10 October 2026
libration
/laɪˈbɹeɪ.ʃən/ noun
Latin root: lībrātiō Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about libration at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- The act of librating.
- The apparent wobble or variation in the visible side of the Moon that permanently faces the Earth, allowing observers on Earth to see, over a period of time, slightly more than half of the lunar surface.
- A similar rotational or orbital characteristic of some other celestial body.
Origin
From Latin lībrātiō (“a hurling, swinging”), from lībrō (“poise, cause to swing”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)