syzygy

Meaning

Noun

• An alignment of three celestial bodies (for example, the Sun, Earth, and Moon) such that one body is directly between the other two, such as occurs at an eclipse.
• An archetypal pairing of contrasexual opposites, symbolizing the communication of the conscious and unconscious minds.
• A relation between generators of a module.
• The fusion of some or all of the organs.
• The association of two protozoa end-to-end or laterally for the purpose of asexual exchange of genetic material.
• The pairing of chromosomes in meiosis.

Origin

• From Late Latin sȳzygia ("conjunction"), from Ancient Greek συζυγία ("union, yoke, pair"). This word was recognized as English in 1847 (in its astronomical meaning).