light-year also light year (l t yîr )n. 1. The distance that light travels in a vacuum in one year, approximately 9.46 trillion (9.46 × 1012) kilometers or 5.88 trillion (5.88 × 1012) miles. 2. Informal A long way. Often used in the plural: a small town light-years away from the action of the capital. |
light year
n
(Mathematics & Measurements / Units) a unit of distance used in astronomy, equal to the distance travelled by light in one year, i.e. 9.4607 ✕ 1012 kilometres or 0.3066 parsecs
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | light year - the distance that light travels in a vacuum in 1 year; 5.88 trillion miles or 9.46 trillion kilometers astronomy unit - a linear unit used for astronomical distances light hour - the distance light travels in a vacuum in one hour; approximately one billion kilometers light minute - the distance light travels in a vacuum in one minute; approximately 18 million kilometers light second - the distance light travels in a vacuum in one second; approximately 300,000 kilometers |
How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|