Meanings
- astronomyThe Milky Way Galaxy, the galaxy in which Earth is located.First known use mid 19th c.
Meronyms: Earth < Solar System < Orion Arm
4 more examples
Holonyms: Local Group < Virgo Supercluster < Laniakea < Universe
This whole earth which we inhabit is but a point in space. How far apart, think you, dwell the two most distant inhabitants of yonder star, the breadth of whose disk cannot be appreciated by our instruments? Why should I feel lonely? is not our planet in the Milky Way?
1854 August 9, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “Solitude”, in Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 144From a cosmic perspective, even our host galaxy, the Milky Way, is not particularly special[…]
2021, William Sheehan, Jim Bell, chapter 13, in Discovering Mars, page 294By combining the data from multiple telescopes, astronomers determined the star’s position and velocity in space, allowing them to predict that it will exit the Milky Way at some point.
2024 August 21, Ashley Strickland, “An unusual object is moving so fast it could escape the Milky Way. Scientists aren’t certain what it is”, in CNNSynonyms: Milky Way Galaxy, Local Galaxy, Galaxy, Milky Way Galaxy, Galaxy
- astronomyA broad band of diffuse white light, visible in the night sky; our view of the dense portions of the Milky Way Galaxy from inside the galaxy.First known use late 14th c.
[…] a random shower of amber lights—a spray of golden sparks that […] glinted softly upon the sea of dark foliage like the pallid stars of the milky-way.
1869, Mark Twain, chapter XXXII, in The Innocents Abroad, page 348Synonyms: Silvery River, Great Sky River
Synonyms & antonyms
proper nounThe Milky Way Galaxy, the galaxy in which Earth is located.
proper nounA broad band of diffuse white light, visible in the night sky; our view of the dense portions of the Milky Way Galaxy from inside the galaxy.
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe galaxy containing the solar system; consists of millions of stars that can be seen as a diffuse band of light stretching across the night sky
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekγαλαξίας
- LatinVia Lactea
- Middle EnglishMilky Wey
- EnglishMilky Way
From Middle English Milky Wey, a calque of Latin Via Lactea (literally “milky road”), a calque of Ancient Greek γαλαξίας (galaxías), referring to its appearance as a pale band of stars across the sky. Compare also Old Norse Mjólkrhringr (“Milky Way”, literally “milk-ring, milk-circle”). The reference to the galaxy is an extension of the second sense.
More words from Middle English, Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans Melkweg
- Melkweggalaxy
Ancient Greek γαλαξίας
- γαλαξίας (galaxías)light in night sky
Arabic دَرْبُ التَّبَّانَة
- دَرْبُ التَّبَّانَة (darbu t-tabbāna)galaxy
Basque Esne Bidea
- Esne Bideagalaxy
Bengali আকাশগঙ্গা
- আকাশগঙ্গা (akaśgoṅga)galaxy
Bulgarian Мле́чен път
- Мле́чен път (Mléčen păt)galaxy
Catalan la Via Làctia
- la Via Làctiagalaxy
Chinese Cantonese 銀河系 /银河系
- 銀河系 /银河系 (ngan⁴ ho⁴ hai⁶)galaxy
Chinese Mandarin 銀河系 /银河系, 銀河 /银河
- 銀河系 /银河系 (Yínhéxì)galaxy
- 銀河 /银河 (Yínhé)light in night sky
Czech Mléčná dráha, Mléčná dráha
- Mléčná dráhagalaxy
- Mléčná dráhalight in night sky
Danish Mælkevejen
- Mælkevejengalaxy
Dutch Melkweg
- Melkweggalaxy
Esperanto Lakta Vojo
- Lakta Vojogalaxy
Estonian Linnutee, Linnutee
- Linnuteegalaxy
- Linnuteelight in night sky
Finnish Linnunrata, linnunrata
- Linnunratagalaxy
- linnunratalight in night sky
French Voie lactée, voie lactée
- Voie lactéegalaxy
- voie lactéelight in night sky
German Milchstraße, Milchstraße
- Milchstraßegalaxy
- Milchstraßelight in night sky
Greek Γαλαξίας
- Γαλαξίας (Galaxías)galaxy
Hebrew שְׁבִיל הֶחָלָב, שביל החלב
- שְׁבִיל הֶחָלָב (shvil hekhaláv)galaxy
- שביל החלב (sh'víl ha'khaláv)light in night sky
Hindi आकाशगंगा, क्षीरमार्ग
- आकाशगंगा (ākāśgaṅgā)galaxy
- क्षीरमार्ग (kṣīrmārg)galaxy
- आकाशगंगा (ākāśgaṅgā)light in night sky
Hungarian Tejútrendszer, Tejút
- Tejútrendszergalaxy
- Tejútgalaxy
Icelandic Mjólkurslæða, vetrarbraut
- Mjólkurslæðagalaxy
- vetrarbrautlight in night sky
Indonesian Bima Sakti
- Bima Saktigalaxy
Irish Bealach na Bó Finne, Claí Mór na Réaltaí
- Bealach na Bó Finnegalaxy
- Claí Mór na Réaltaígalaxy
- An Láir Bhángalaxy
- Bealach na Bó Finnelight in night sky
- Claí Mór na Réaltaílight in night sky
- An Láir Bhánlight in night sky
Italian Via Lattea
- Via Latteagalaxy
Japanese 銀河系, 天の川銀河
- 銀河系 (gingakei)galaxy
- 天の川銀河 (amanogawa ginga)galaxy
- 天河 (Tenga)galaxy
- 天の川 (amanogawa)light in night sky
Korean 우리 은하, 은하
- 우리 은하 (uri eunha)galaxy
- 은하 (eunha)galaxy
- 은하수 (eunhasu)galaxy
Latin Via Lactea, Via Lactea
- Via Lacteagalaxy
- Via Lactealight in night sky
Latvian Piena Ceļš, Piena Ceļš
- Piena Ceļšgalaxy
- Piena Ceļšlight in night sky
Lithuanian Paukščių Takas
- Paukščių Takasgalaxy
Malay Bimasakti, Bintang Temabur
- Bimasaktigalaxy
- Bintang Temaburgalaxy
Māori Te Mangōroa, te Ikaroa
- Te Mangōroagalaxy
- te Ikaroagalaxy
- Roiatagalaxy
- TeIka-whenua-o-te-rangigalaxy
- Paeroa-o-Whānuigalaxy
- Te Ika-o-te-rangigalaxy
- Te Tāhū-o-te-rangigalaxy
Norwegian Bokmål Melkeveien
- Melkeveiengalaxy
Polish Droga Mleczna, Droga Mleczna
- Droga Mlecznagalaxy
- Droga Mlecznalight in night sky
Portuguese Via Láctea, Via Láctea
- Via Lácteagalaxy
- Via Láctealight in night sky
- Caminho de Santiagolight in night sky
Punjabi ਆਕਾਸ਼ਗੰਗਾ
- ਆਕਾਸ਼ਗੰਗਾ (ākāśgaṅgā)galaxy
Romanian Calea Lactee, Calea Lactee
- Calea Lacteegalaxy
- Calea Lacteelight in night sky
- Calea Lapteluilight in night sky
- Drumul Robilorlight in night sky
Russian Мле́чный Путь, Мле́чный Путь
- Мле́чный Путь (Mléčnyj Putʹ)galaxy
- Мле́чный Путь (Mléčnyj Putʹ)light in night sky
Scottish Gaelic Sgrìob Chlann Uisnich, Slighe Chlann Uisnich
- Sgrìob Chlann Uisnichgalaxy
- Slighe Chlann Uisnichgalaxy
- Bogha Chlann Uisnichgalaxy
- Breac a' Mhuilinngalaxy
- Sgrìob Chlann Uisnichlight in night sky
- Slighe Chlann Uisnichlight in night sky
- Breac a' Mhuilinnlight in night sky
Slovak Mliečna cesta
- Mliečna cestagalaxy
Spanish Vía Láctea, Camino de Santiago
- Vía Lácteagalaxy
- Camino de Santiagolight in night sky
- Vía Láctealight in night sky
Swedish Vintergatan, Vintergatan
- Vintergatangalaxy
- Vintergatanlight in night sky
Tagalog Daang Magatas, Daang Malagatas
- Daang Magatasgalaxy
- Daang Malagatasgalaxy
- Ariwanasgalaxy
- Pulong-Bituingalaxy
Thai ทางช้างเผือก, ทางช้างเผือก
- ทางช้างเผือก (taang-cháang-pʉ̀ʉak)galaxy
- ทางช้างเผือก (taang-cháang-pʉ̀ʉak)light in night sky
Turkish Samanyolu
- Samanyolugalaxy
Ukrainian Чума́цький Шлях, Моло́чний Шлях
- Чума́цький Шлях (Čumácʹkyj Šljax)galaxy
- Моло́чний Шлях (Molóčnyj Šljax)galaxy
- Чума́цька Доро́га (Čumácʹka Doróha)galaxy
Urdu راہِ شِیر, جَادَۂ شِیر
- راہِ شِیر (rāh-i śīr)galaxy
- جَادَۂ شِیر (jāda-yi śīr)galaxy
- مِلْکی وے (milkī ve)galaxy
Vietnamese Ngân Hà
- Ngân Hàgalaxy
Welsh Llwybr Llaethog, Bwa'r Gwynt
- Llwybr Llaethoggalaxy
- Bwa'r Gwyntgalaxy
- Llwybr Llaethoglight in night sky
Cite this entry
Milky Way. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Milky%20Way
“Milky Way.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Milky%20Way. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Milky Way,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Milky%20Way.
Source: Milky Way on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.