Cruithne Definition
krĭthnə, krĭnyə
noun
An asteroid that orbits the sun in just over 365 days in a highly eccentric and inclined elliptical orbit that periodically brings it close to Earth. Earth has a strong gravitational influence on Cruithne, but the inclined orbit of the asteroid precludes a collision between the two bodies and also the possibility of Cruithne ever orbiting Earth as a second moon.
American Heritage
The Picts.
American Heritage
Origin of Cruithne
-
Old Irish Cruithne the Picts (the asteroid being named by Duncan Waldron, the Scottish amateur astronomer who discovered it in 1986) from Cruithen a Pict kwer- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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