planisphere
/ˈpleɪ.nɪˌsfɪɚ/noun
planisphere is a noun meaning “Any representation (map projection) of part of a sphere on a plane surface” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is spelled P-L-A-N-I-S-P-H-E-R-E and has 3 syllables, and it appears about once in every 44 million words in written English (wordfreq, 2021 data). The plural of planisphere is planispheres.
What does planisphere mean?
noun
- 1
Any representation (map projection) of part of a sphere on a plane surface.
- 2
A map constructed by stereographic projection, as described in Ptolemy's treatise Planisphaerium and later used in planispheric astrolabes
- 3
A map of the whole world, especially those from the 16th–17th century
- 4
Any of several charts of the celestial sphere having an overlay or window that may be adjusted to show the stars visible at a particular time, or from a particular place.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you pronounce planisphere?
- US /ˈpleɪ.nɪˌsfɪɚ/
- US /ˈplæn.ɪˌsfɪɚ/
Planisphere has 3 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Rho9998-planisphere.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of planisphere
- planispheres plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How common is planisphere?
Planisphere appears about once in every 44 million words in written English, the 204,233rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Planisphere in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense charts of the celestial sphere:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | planisphère |
| German | Planisphäre |
| Portuguese | planisfério |
| Spanish | planisferio |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does planisphere come from?
From plani- + sphere or plani- + -sphere.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).