andromeda
n. uncountablen. the closest large galaxy to our own Milky Way. It is a massive group of stars that you can sometimes see in the night sky without a telescope.
n. a large spiral galaxy located approximately 2.5 million light-years from Earth. When used in a mythological context, refers to the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia in Greek legend.
Andromeda is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way.
On a very clear night away from city lights, you can spot Andromeda as a faint, fuzzy patch in the sky.
Astronomers predict that Andromeda and the Milky Way will eventually collide in several billion years, merging to form a single, massive elliptical galaxy.
Borrowed from Latin Andromeda, itself a borrowing from Ancient Greek Ἀνδρομέδα (Androméda), Ἀνδρομέδη (Andromédē).
Usually treated as a proper noun and capitalized; functions as uncountable when referring to the specific galaxy or mythological figure.