path of totality

noun

The path traced on the Earth's surface by the moon's shadow (more precisely, the umbra) during a total eclipse of the sun.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounpath of totality (plural paths of totality)

plural paths of totality

  1. astronomyThe path traced on the Earth's surface by the moon's shadow (more precisely, the umbra) during a total eclipse of the sun.

    Over a wider region either side of the path of totality, a partial eclipse is seen.

    1993, Jacqueline Mitton, The Penguin Dictionary of Astronomy, 2nd edition (paperback), Penguin Books, →ISBN, page 127
    2 more examples

    Keep the filter on the camera for all the exposures unless you’re in the path of totality.

    1994, Joel Harris, Richard Talcott, Chasing the Shadow, Kalmbach Books, →ISBN, page 79

    The path of totality can extend for many thousands of miles, and the duration of totality in any one place can be as long as about seven minutes.

    1999, Peter Coles, Einstein and the Total Eclipse, Totem Books, →ISBN, page 11
Cite this entry
APA

path of totality. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/path%20of%20totality

MLA

“path of totality.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/path%20of%20totality. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “path of totality,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/path%20of%20totality.

Source: path of totality on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.