galaxy
noun
Newsweek
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The system of stars that includes our sun looks, in the night sky, like a broad band of light. We call this band the Milky Way. The idea of the whiteness of the Milky Way being similar to that of milk is much older than the English language, however. Galaxias, the Greek word for the Milky Way, was derived from the Greek gala, “milk.” English galaxy, derived from Greek galaxias, was not used until the 19th century as a generic term for other star systems as well as the one in which we live.
Examples of galaxy in a Sentence
John Timmer, Ars Technica, 27 Sep. 2024
As the story unravels, Kay is caught between a war against light and dark for the freedom of the entire galaxy.
—Diego Ramos Bechara, Variety, 26 Sep. 2024
Supermassive black holes lie at the centers of large galaxies.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 25 Sep. 2024
The radio telescope array in Australia being used is capable of looking for signs of life in star systems both in our Milky Way galaxy and in 2,800 galaxies beyond.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 21 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for galaxy 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'galaxy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near galaxy
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“Galaxy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/galaxy. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
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galaxy
noun
Middle English galaxie "the Milky Way," from Latin galaxias (same meaning), from Greek galaxias "Milky Way," from galakt-, gala "milk"
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