# aphelion

> English word · Noun · IPA /əˈfiː.lɪ.ən/

## Definitions
1. The point in the elliptical orbit of a comet, planet, or other astronomical object, where it is farthest from the Sun.

## Etymology
From New Latin aphēlium (whence English aphelium, now displaced) + -ion (used in the names of other apsides). Aphelium was formed from Ancient Greek ἀπο- (apo-, prefix meaning ‘away, from, off’) + ἥλῐος (hḗlĭos, “the sun”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sóh₂wl̥ (“the sun”)), modelled after New Latin apogaeum (“apogee”).
The plural form aphelia is from aphelion + -a (plural form of the suffix -on).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/aphelion