sun

/sʌn/

Que signifie "sun" ?

star at the center of the solar system

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

The star at the center of our solar system appears to move across the sky from morning to evening.


Comment bien utiliser "sun" ?

general

The star at the center of the solar system that provides light and heat to Earth.

Plants need sunlight to grow.

Plants require the light and energy from the sun to develop.

She woke up early to watch the sunrise.

She got up before dawn to observe the sun appearing on the horizon.

Often capitalized in astronomical contexts (e.g., 'the Sun').

astronomical

Any star that is the center of a planetary system.

Astronomers discovered a distant sun with multiple exoplanets.

Scientists found a star in a faraway system that has several planets orbiting it.

Used metaphorically to describe a guiding or central figure.

Collocations

sunrisethe time in the morning when the sun appearssunsetthe time in the evening when the sun disappears below the horizonunder the sunanywhere or everything imaginable

Related Phrases

make hay while the sun shinesproverb
take advantage of favorable conditions
a place in the sunphrase
a position of advantage or prominence

Pro Tip

Capitalization

Use a capital 'S' only when referring to the Sun as a proper noun (e.g., 'the Sun is a star'). In general contexts, it remains lowercase (e.g., 'the sun provides energy').

Gold Rule

Literal vs. Figurative

Distinguish between the literal celestial body (e.g., 'the sun is 93 million miles away') and figurative uses (e.g., 'she is the sun of her family's life').

Word Origin

From Old English 'sunne', derived from Proto-Germanic '*sunnǭ', which has cognates in other Germanic languages (e.g., German 'Sonne', Dutch 'zon'). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European '*sóh₂wl̥' (sun), related to Latin 'sol' and Greek 'hēlios'.

Usage Notes

The word 'sun' is typically lowercase unless used as part of a proper noun (e.g., 'Sun Microsystems'). In poetic or formal contexts, it may be personified or capitalized.

English Dictionary