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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Eclipse \E*clipse"\ ([-e]*kl[i^]ps"), noun [F. ['e]clipse, L. eclipsis, fr. Gr. 'e'kleipsis, prop., a forsaking, failing, fr. 'eklei'pein to leave out, forsake; 'ek out + lei'pein to leave. See {Ex-}, and {Loan}.]
1. (Astron.) An interception or obscuration of the light of the sun, moon, or other luminous body, by the intervention of some other body, either between it and the eye, or between the luminous body and that illuminated by it. A lunar eclipse is caused by the moon passing through the earth's shadow; a solar eclipse, by the moon coming between the sun and the observer. A satellite is eclipsed by entering the shadow of its primary. The obscuration of a planet or star by the moon or a planet, though of the nature of an eclipse, is called an {occultation}. The eclipse of a small portion of the sun by Mercury or Venus is called a {transit} of the planet.
Note: In ancient times, eclipses were, and among unenlightened people they still are, superstitiously regarded as forerunners of evil fortune, a sentiment of which occasional use is made in literature.
That fatal and perfidious bark, Built in the eclipse, and rigged with curses dark. --Milton.
2. The loss, usually temporary or partial, of light, brilliancy, luster, honor, consciousness, etc.; obscuration; gloom; darkness.
All the posterity of our fist parents suffered a perpetual eclipse of spiritual life. --Sir W. Raleigh.
As in the soft and sweet eclipse, When soul meets soul on lovers' lips. --Shelley.
{Annular eclipse}. (Astron.) See under {Annular}.
{Cycle of eclipses}. See under {Cycle}.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Eclipse \E*clipse"\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Eclipsed} ([-e]*kl[i^]pst"); p. pr. & vb. n. {Eclipsing}.]
1. To cause the obscuration of; to darken or hide; -- said of a heavenly body; as, the moon eclipses the sun.
2. To obscure, darken, or extinguish the beauty, luster, honor, etc., of; to sully; to cloud; to throw into the shade by surpassing. ''His eclipsed state.'' --Dryden.
My joy of liberty is half eclipsed. --Shak.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Eclipse \E*clipse"\, verb (used without an object) To suffer an eclipse.
While the laboring moon Eclipses at their charms. --Milton.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
eclipse
noun: one celestial body obscures another [syn: {occultation}]
verb
1: exceed in importance; outweigh; "This problem overshadows our lives right now" [syn: {overshadow}]
2: cause an eclipse of (a celestial body) by intervention; "The Sun eclipses the moon today"; "Planets and stars often are occulted by other celestial bodies" [syn: {occult}]
3: cause an eclipse of; of celestial bodies; "The moon eclipsed the sun"
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
179 Moby Thesaurus words for "eclipse": adumbrate, annular eclipse, apply to, bandage, becloud, bedarken, bedazzle, bedim, befog, begloom, benight, black, black out, blacken, blackout, blanket, blanketing, blind, blind the eyes, blindfold, block, block the light, blockage, blocking, blot out, blotting out, brown, camouflage, canopy, cast a shadow, cementwork, central eclipse, cloak, cloaking, clothe, cloud, cloud over, clouding, coating, conceal, concealment, cope, cover, cover up, coverage, covering, cowl, curtain, curtaining, darken, darken over, darkening, daze, dazzle, decline, dematerialization, departure, deprive of sight, dim, dim out, dimming, disappearance, disappearing, disguise, dispersion, dissemble, dissipation, dissolution, dissolving, distract attention from, downturn, eclipsing, elimination, encloud, encompass with shadow, ensconce, enshroud, envelop, envelopment, enwrapment, enwrapping, erasure, evanescence, evaporation, excecate, extinction, extinguish, fadeaway, fadeout, fading, fake out, film, glare, gloom, gloss over, going, gouge, hide, hiding, hood, hoodwink, incrustation, keep under cover, lay on, lay over, laying on, lunar eclipse, make blind, mantle, mantling, mask, masking, melting, muffle, murk, obduce, obduction, obfuscate, obnubilate, obscuration, obscure, obscuring, obumbrate, occult, occultate, occultation, outshine, overcast, overcloud, overlay, overlaying, overshadow, overspread, overspreading, pargeting, partial eclipse, passing, plasterwork, put down, put on, put to shame, recession, screen, screening, scum, shade, shading, shadow, sheathing, shield, shielding, show up, shroud, shrouding, slump, slur over, snow-blind, solar eclipse, somber, spread over, strike blind, stuccowork, superimpose, superimposition, superpose, superposition, surpass, top, total eclipse, upholstering, upholstery, vanishing, vanishing point, varnish, veil, veiling, whitewash, wipe, wrapping
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:
ECLIPSE A {Prolog} + {CLP} compiler from {ECRC}.
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]:
Eclipse of the sun alluded to in Amos 8:9; Micah 3:6; Zech. 14:6; Joel 2:10. Eclipses were regarded as tokens of God's anger (Joel 3:15; Job 9:7). The darkness at the crucifixion has been ascribed to an eclipse (Matt. 27:45); but on the other hand it is argued that the great intensity of darkness caused by an eclipse never lasts for more than six minutes, and this darkness lasted for three hours. Moreover, at the time of the Passover the moon was full, and therefore there could not be an eclipse of the sun, which is caused by an interposition of the moon between the sun and the earth.
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