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light-year definition

light·-year (-yir′)

noun

  1. Astron. a unit of distance equal to the distance that light travels in a vacuum in one year, c. 9,460,000,000,000 km (5,880,000,000,000 mi): abbrev. lt-yr or ly
  2. a very great distance, amount of time, etc.: usually used in pl. light-years ahead in basic research
Also written light year

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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